Surface-Sensitive Approach to Interpreting Supramolecular Rearrangements in Cellulose by Synchrotron Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering

Abstract

The supramolecular rearrangements of biopolymers have remained difficult to discern. Here, we present a versatile approach that allows for an <i>in situ</i> investigation of two major types of rearrangements typically observed with cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on earth. Model thin films were employed to study time-resolved pore size changes using <i>in situ</i> grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) during regeneration and drying.