# Microfibril orientation and compositional heterogeneity in fiber and vessel cell walls of poplar xylem studied by AFM-IR and SFG spectroscopy

## TL;DR

This study uses advanced imaging techniques to reveal differences in cellulose microfibril orientation and chemical composition in poplar xylem cell walls, linking structure to function.

## Contribution

The study introduces the combined use of AFM-IR and SFG spectroscopy to reveal nanoscale and mesoscale features of poplar xylem cell walls.

## Key findings

- Fiber cell walls have highly aligned cellulose microfibrils along the stem axis for mechanical support.
- Vessel cell walls show slightly tilted cellulose microfibrils, supporting their hydraulic transport function.
- Chemical heterogeneity exists between adjacent cell walls and transitional layers beyond traditional sublayers.

## Abstract

This study demonstrates the use of photothermal AFM-IR and vibrational SFG microscopy to investigate nanoscale chemical heterogeneity and mesoscale cellulose microfibril orientation in hybrid poplar xylem, revealing differences in cellulose microfibril (CMF) orientation between fiber and vessel cell walls that are consistent with their mechanical support and hydraulic functions.

Understanding the structural organization of cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) within individual plant cell walls is essential for connecting cell wall architecture to its mechanical and physiological functions. However, due to the complex hierarchical structure and nanoscale heterogeneity of cell walls, it remains technically challenging to resolve detailed compositional and orientational information at subcellular levels of individual cell walls. This study investigates the internal 3D structure, chemical composition, and sublayer organization of fiber and vessel cell walls in the xylem tissue of a two-year-old field-grown hybrid poplar tree (Populus alba × P. glandulosa) using photothermal atomic force microscopy coupled with infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR) and sum frequency generation (SFG) hyperspectral microscopy. AFM-IR provided nanoscale chemical imaging, revealing localized compositional heterogeneity, including variations between adjacent cell walls and transitional layers beyond the traditional S1, S2, and S3 sublayers. SFG microscopy revealed that CMFs in fiber walls are highly aligned along the stem axis, consistent with their role in mechanical support, while vessel cell walls exhibited slightly tilted CMFs, reflecting their function in hydraulic transport. Together, these results offer new insights into cell-type-specific CMF organization and compositional gradients in hybrid poplar xylem. These findings highlight the structural and chemical complexity of secondary cell walls in woody plants and demonstrate the value of AFM-IR and SFG spectroscopy in elucidating plant cell wall architecture.

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The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00425-026-04947-7.