Structural characterization of enzymatically synthesized glucan dendrimers

Glucan dendrimers (GDs) were synthesized by using a branching enzyme. Spherical GDs of different molecular weights were obtained and had a narrow particle size distribution. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements showed that the radius of gyration of the GDs was 4.2-14.6 nm in aqueous solution. The SAXS profiles of GDs with small molecular weights exhibited scattering behavior similar to that described by the hyperbranched polymer model, and tended to resemble that of a sphere as the molecular weight increased.