Physico chemical properties of aminated tamarind xyloglucan

Tamarind xyloglucan (XG) has been functionalized with amino group, which forms irreversible hydrogels with blue fluorescence characteristics. Aminated xyloglucan (XG-NH2) at very low concentration (0.2%, w/v) in aqueous medium, forms self assembled spherical nano-particles of 60 nm size, where as at 7% (w/v), it formed a strong hydrogel. The bonding of amino group to the XG polymers was confirmed by FTIR spectra. The XG-NH2 has same solubility as XG. The XG showed a broad melting point around 78 °C whereas XG-NH2 was at 115 °C. In addition, aminated xyloglucan (XG-NH2) exhibited good thermal properties. The XG-NH2 shows better antimicrobial activity in comparison to chitosan. This modified xyloglucan has potential applications in the medical and biotronics field because it possesses biocompatibility, strong hydrogel behavior with very useful blue fluorescence.