Work in Laboratory of Biopolymers deals with natural carbohydrate polymers abundant in plants and fungi. These biopolymers possess unique characteristics useful for various industrial applications. We study basic properties of carbohydrate polymers and their blends with synthetic biodegradable polymers. We use solution and solid-state NMRs, CD, FT-IR, and various spectroscopic methods, as well as scanning probe microscopy. These studies yield the structure and properties of these natural and blended polymers both at macro and nano levels. In particular, we have succeeded to observe “nanodots” with blended carbohydrate biopolymers by controlling hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. The goal of these studies is to create carbohydrate biopolymers suitable for various industrial applications.

1. Surface and chemical changes in Japanese papers associated with exposure to sun light
2. Gel and blends of triple-helix-forming fungal carbohydrate polymers
3. Nanostructures of carbohydrate biopolymers
4. Molecular dynamic simulations of the transitions of carbohydrate biopolymers