Paramylon beads, web, and paper

Paramylon is a storage polysaccharide produced by Euglena glacilis. Paramylon nanofibers form spontaneously through the self-assembly of single-strand paramylon. However, paramylon nanofibers are well-dispersed only in strongly alkaline solutions. Therefore, a method of fabricating a novel fiber network using paramylon was developed, without requiring the use of additives to prevent aggregation. Paramylon was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide at a high concentration, and this thick, viscous solution was added dropwise to ethanol. The resulting spheres (paramylon beads) were dispersed in water and homogenized. The aqueous dispersion contained a weblike structure comprising submicron fibers with widths of similar to 500 nm (paramylon web). Gradual removal of water from the aqueous dispersions produced centimeter-sized translucent paper-like films (paramylon papers). The translucency suggested that the submicron fibers did not excessively aggregate but still maintained small interstices within the paper owing to the rigid web-like structure.

Automated summary

Paramylon, a storage polysaccharide produced by Euglena glacilis, can self-assemble into nanofibers, but they are only well-dispersed in strongly alkaline solutions. A novel method was developed to create a fiber network using paramylon without the need for additives. The process involved dissolving paramylon in dimethyl sulfoxide, adding it dropwise to ethanol, and dispersing the resulting paramylon beads in water to create submicron fibers in a web-like structure.