Elastic Incoherent Neutron Scattering Findings on Homologous Disaccharides

A new wavevector analysis performed by wavelet transform of Elastic Incoherent Neutron Scattering (EINS) data on three bioprotectant systems, i.e. on the homologous disaccharides trehalose, maltose and sucrose, is presented. The analysis allows to compare the spatial properties of the three systems in the wavevector range of Q = 0.28 - 4.27 Ǻ-1, revealing the existence of different kinds of protons dynamics. It emerges that, differently from previous wavevector analyses, both the low and high wavevector contributions for trehalose, at all the investigated temperature values, are constantly lower and sharper, giving rise to a global energy distribution along the wavevector range markedly less extended. These findings give an account for the bioprotectant effectiveness of trehalose in the medical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields.