Webinar: Crosslink Density Effects on the Hysteretic Behaviour of Keratin Fibers in Water Sorption Isotherms

 

Date: Thurs 31 March 2022
Time: 3:00 pm BST | 4:00 pm CEST | 10:00 am EDT
Duration: 1 hour incl. Q&A
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Presenter:

Dr. Susannah Molisso
Senior Application Scientist

Join the latest addition to the Surface Measurement Systems Application Science team, Dr. Susannah Molisso, to explore recent research into changing behaviors in water sorption isotherms of keratin fibers.

Fresh from gaining her PhD at Imperial College London, Dr. Molisso will explore the effect crosslink density has on the hysteretic behavior of keratin fibers in water sorption isotherms. Taking an in-depth look at recent research employing the Dynamic Vapor Sorption method, this session will provide new insights into the uncertain physical processes behind the hysteresis phenomena in keratin water sorption isotherms. Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage Dr. Molisso further and have their queries answered in a live Q&A session.

Don’t miss the opportunity to gain fresh knowledge and research insights on the advaced sorption analysis of keratin fibers, sign up free now. You can read the full abstract below for more information…

Fig 1. Keratin water sorption hysteresis is dependent on cross-link density

The fundamental physical processes behind the hysteresis phenomena in keratin water sorption isotherms are still uncertain. To examine the role of swelling in this process, hair was modified via reduction and dyeing to measure the impact of reduced inter-keratin bonding on hysteresis. Water sorption isotherms were measured using Dynamic Vapour Sorption, and fibres were characterised using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Hair fibres with reduced crosslinks from damage procedures showed a higher amorphous content, indications of glass transitions at lower relative humidity, and faster relaxation properties, resulting in distinctly different hysteretic properties to that of untreated hair.  This work concludes that hysteresis is dependent on the swelling ability of keratin, which allows greater plasticisation of glassy regions in the fibre by water. This swelling is strongly governed by disulphide bond content.

Susannah first completed her MSci in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry at Imperial College London, working under the supervision of Dr James Wilton-Ely on multimetallic MRI contrast agents. She then joined the Institute of Chemical Biology in 2017 and completed an MRes in Chemical Biology, focusing on small molecule interactions with human hair, before beginning her PhD in 2018. Under the supervisions of Professors Daryl Williams, Robert Law and Oscar Ces, Susannah’s PhD continued her MRes work, in collaboration with Procter & Gamble. The focus of this work was measuring interactions of small molecules with hair keratin using multiple techniques including Dynamic Vapour Sorption, Solid State NMR and High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Susannah completed her PhD in 2022 and joined Surface Measurement Systems as part of the Application Science Team.

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