Nanomechanics and Raman Spectroscopy of in Situ Native Carbohydrate Storage Granules for Enhancing Starch Quality and Lignocellulosic Biomass Production
R. H. Farahi, Aude L. Lereu, Anne Charrier, Udaya C. Kalluri, Brian H. Davison, Ali Passian
Abstract
xylem, a desirable woody biofuel feedstock. The employed soft outer layer nanoablation and atomic force microscopy reveal that the inner structure comprises 156 nm blocklets arranged in a semicrystalline organization. The nanomechanical properties of the inner and outer structures of a single starch granule are measured and found to exhibit large variations, changing by a factor of 3 in Young's modulus and a factor of 2 in viscoplastic index. These findings demonstrate how the introduced approach facilitates studies of structure-function relationships among starch granules and more complex secondary cell wall features as they relate to plant performance.