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Studies of native and modified starch

Starch is the most important plant-produced renewable source of energy in human diet. It is widely used in various industries, especially in the food production. In our works we focus on natural starches of different biological origin as well as on starches modified by various technological processes. We investigate how the structure of starch and its functional properties change under the influence of physical (UV irradiation, temperature) and chemical (oxidation e.g. by ozone, esterification, enrichment with metal ions) treatments. We use electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), the non-destructive method, which allows determination of the amount, character and structure of stable carbon-centred radicals, generated in starch materials upon their activation and modification. We can also identify paramagnetic transition metal ions, which play an important role in the processes occurring in plant materials. The EPR studies, together with IR spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction, enable us to study the starch structure at the molecular level and propose the mechanism of the modification processes.

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Studies of coordination assemblies

Coordination compounds play an important role in many biological processes, including the photosynthesis process that is crucial for the existence of life. In our studies we combine metal complexes using bridging ligands into discrete polynuclear systems or coordination polymers. Due to their modular structure, based on the building block principle, such compounds unite on the molecular level many desirable properties, induced by their components or arising from the mode in which they are connected. Our research focuses on the design and synthesis of magnetic CN-bridged coordination polymers characterised by framework flexibility. We study phase transitions and morphology changes upon sorption of water or other small molecules into porous structures. We also construct thin films and nanocomposites based on switchable charge-transfer or spin-crossover coordination systems.