Study on the chain structure of starch molecules by atomic force microscopy

Starch molecules were stretched and aligned by a special method on a mica surface and imaged with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM images have shown the “chain” structure of the starch molecules. The results also show that there exist complicated structures in the molecules of natural starch and that the glucose units may form thicker “chains.” The length of the chains may reach 1–2 μm.