Gelation of photocrosslinkable carboxymethyl chitosan and its application in controlled release of pesticide

► Gelation of photocrosslinkable carboxymethyl chitosan was studied. ► The photocross-linking reaction kinetics was rapid via UV irradiation. ► The obtained hydrogels showed good the pH sensitivity and lysozymatic degradability. ► Pestcide-loaded hydrogels could be formed rapidly by solar-simulated UV irradiation. ► Their release profiles in a buffer of pH 6.0 were shown to be diffusion controlled.