Phytoglycogen is a highly branched polymer of glucose that forms dendrimeric nanoparticles. This special structure leads to a strong interaction with water that produces exceptional properties such as high water retention, low viscosity and high stability of aqueous dispersions. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear anionic polysaccharide with a high water-holding capacity. We have used ellipsometry at controlled relative humidities (RH) to measure the equilibrium swelling of phytoglycogen, HA, and phytoglycogen:HA mixture films, directly probing the interstitial forces acting within the films. Equilibrium film swelling occurs in two regimes: at low RH (&lt;70%) for which hard-core repulsions drive film swelling, and at higher RH (&gt;70%) for which repulsive hydration forces dominate. The length scale λ<sub>0,</sub> which characterizes the exponentially decaying hydration forces, provides a quantitative, RH-independent measure of water sorption by the films. The kinetics of film swelling were also measured for phytoglycogen, HA, and phytoglycogen:HA mixture films in both the low and high RH swelling regimes. These results provide valuable insights into the potential for synergy between phytoglycogen and HA in cosmetic applications.

Equilibrium and kinetic swelling in ultrathin films of phytoglycogen nanoparticles, hyaluronic acid and phytoglycogen:hyaluronic acid mixtures

255th National Meeting (2018)

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