Soft material characterization of the lamellar properties of starch: Smectic side-chain liquid-crystalline polymeric approach

We compare and contrast the soft lamellar material properties of starch with those of a canonical multilayered microemulsion via the modeling of experimentally observed small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns. Consequently, and by using a well-known lamellar microemulsion system as a valuable point of reference, model analysis of the SAXS data enables us to quantitatively characterize the lamellar structure of starch for the first time. We argue that this work provides strong evidence for viewing the lamellar structure of starch as a smectic side-chain liquid-crystalline polymer. Pursuing this approach, we are able to shed light on many of the interesting lamellar features of starch found in this work, over and above those found in more familiar smectic systems. We also address, and draw attention to, the possible use of valuable lessons gained from this work in the design and synthesis of novel soft lamellar materials.