Wynne, E., Connell, S.D. orcid.org/0000-0003-2500-5724, Shinebaum, R. et al. (4 more authors) (2024) Grain and Domain Microstructure in Long Chain N-Alkane and N-Alkanol Wax Crystals. Crystal Growth & Design. ISSN 1528-7483
Abstract
Waxes comprise a diverse set of materials from lubricants and coatings to biological materials such as the intracuticular wax layers on plant leaves that restrict water loss to inhibit dehydration. Despite the often mixed hydrocarbon chain lengths and functional groups within waxes, they show a propensity for ordering into crystalline phases, albeit with a wealth of solid solution behavior and disorder modes that determine chemical transport and mechanical properties. Here, we reveal the microscopic structure and heterogeneity of replica leaf wax models based on the dominant wax types in the Schefflera elegantissima plant, namely C31H64 and C30H61OH and their binary mixtures. We observe defined grain microstructure in C31H64 crystals and nanoscale domains of chain-ordered lamellae within these grains. Moreover, nematic phases and dynamical disorder coexist with the domains of ordered lamellae. C30H61OH exhibits more disordered chain packing with no grain structure or lamellar domains. Binary mixtures from 0–50% C30H61OH exhibit a loss of grain structure with increasing alcohol content accompanied by increasingly nematic rather than lamellar chain packing, suggesting a partial but limited solid solution behavior. Together, these results unveil the previously unseen microstructural features governing flexibility and permeability in leaf waxes and outline an approach to microstructure analysis across agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0 . |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Molecular & Nanoscale Physics The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemical & Process Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Dec 2024 09:54 |
Last Modified: | 11 Dec 2024 09:54 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.cgd.4c00909 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:220668 |