biostudies-literatureWillhammar TWallenberg Wood Science CenterSwedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher EducationJapan Science and Technology AgencyVetenskapsr?detEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council2730-2737https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7905869biostudies-literatureUnknown15(2)Cellulose is crystallized by plants and other organisms into fibrous nanocrystals. The mechanical properties of these nanofibers and the formation of helical superstructures with energy dissipating and adaptive optical properties depend on the ordering of polysaccharide chains within these nanocrystals, which is typically measured in bulk average. Direct measurement of the local polysaccharide chain arrangement has been elusive. In this study, we use the emerging technique of scanning electron diffraction to probe the packing of polysaccharide chains across cellulose nanofibers and to reveal local ordering of the chains in twisting sections of the nanofibers. We then use atomic force microscopy to shed light on the size dependence of the inherent driving force for cellulose nanofiber twistACS nanoLocal Crystallinity in Twisted Cellulose Nanofibers.PMC7905869JPMJMI17EDKAW 2018.0452EP/R008779/12019-05465SJ2017-7457Johnstone DNLiu YMidgley PASaito TDaicho KBergstrom LWillhammar TKobayashi KfalseLocal Crystallinity in Twisted Cellulose Nanofibers.Cellulose is crystallized by plants and other organisms into fibrous nanocrystals. The mechanical properties of these nanofibers and the formation of helical superstructures with energy dissipating and adaptive optical properties depend on the ordering of polysaccharide chains within these nanocrystals, which is typically measured in bulk average. Direct measurement of the local polysaccharide chain arrangement has been elusive. In this study, we use the emerging technique of scanning electron diffraction to probe the packing of polysaccharide chains across cellulose nanofibers and to reveal local ordering of the chains in twisting sections of the nanofibers. We then use atomic force microscopy to shed light on the size dependence of the inherent driving force for cellulose nanofiber twist2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Feb2025-04-19T05:11:39.376Z2025-04-19T05:11:39.376ZS-EPMC79058693346404210.1021/acsnano.0c08295