Study of the molecular mobility of collagen

The dielectric relaxations of a biopolymer, collagen, have been studied by means of the thermally stimulated current (TSC) technique. To investigate effects of water on TSC spectra, complementary measurements by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) have been performed. In dehydrated collagen, three spectral bands were recorded in the temperature range of ‐180‐60°C, labelled α, β1, and γ in the order of decreasing temperature. The TSC spectrum of hydrated collagen exhibits a supplementary band labelled β2. By using the fractional polarization method, the γ and β1 modes have been attributed to localized movements of nonpolar (apolar) sequences and polar sequences, respectively. The α mode has been associated with delocalized movements of the collagen macromolecules. Finally the β2 mode has been attributed to reorientations of bound water molecules inside the collagen fibers. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.