Carbohydrate Polymers covers the study and exploitation of polymers of monosaccharides which have current or potential application in areas such as bioenergy, bioplastics, biomaterials, nanotechnology, biorefining, drug delivery, food, chemistry, packaging , paper, pharmaceuticals, medicine, oil recovery, textiles and wood.
The role of the well-characterized carbohydrate polymer must be the major proportion of the work reported, not peripheral. At least one named carbohydrate polymer must be cited and be the main focus of the title of the paper, and of the paper itself. Research must be innovative and advance scientific knowledge.
Where a polysaccharide is obtained from a supplier, essential structural information which will affect its behavior in the subsequent work should be given. For example, molecular size/viscosity information, mannuronate/glucoronate ration for alginates, degree of esterification for pectin, degree of deacetylation for chitosan. Editors are unlikely to send papers for formal review with a statement such as "sodium alginate was purchased from XXX Inc." unless additional information is supplied. To be acceptable, the paper must include some characterization of the polysaccharide (if not already known) in addition to the application studied. Purity and monosaccharide composition are essential; some molecular size and linkage information is highly desirable.
Topics include:
structure and property relationships
analytical methods
chemical, enzymatic and physical modifications
biosynthesis
natural functions
interactions with other materials
Examples of papers which are not appropriate for Carbohydrate Polymers include:
papers which focus on biological, physiological and pharmacological aspects of non-carbohydrate molecules attached to, or mixed with, carbohydrate polymers.
papers on the materials science of biocomposites where there is no mention of any specific carbohydrate polymer, or the role of the carbohydrate polymer is not the major proportion of the study.
papers focusing on polyalkanoates, polylactic acid or lignin.
routine studies of extraction yields without characterisation of the extracted polysaccharide.
routine studies of complexation of a drug with a single cyclodextrin.
applications of new polysaccharides where the structure of the polysaccharide is unknown.
Papers on the production and isolation of enzymes which act on polysaccharides (studies on the mode of action of an enzyme on a polysaccharide are within the journal scope).
Papers where the degree of polymerization of the saccharide chain is less than four. |
