The influence of UV-irradiation on chitosan modified by the tannic acid addition

• Chitosan modified by the tannic acid addition was treated by UV-irradiation.
• UV-irradiation caused both, the degradation of the specimen and its cross-linking.
• The surface of the films was altered by UV-irradiation.

The influence of UV-irradiation with the wavelength 254 nm on the properties of chitosan modified by the tannic acid addition was studied. Tannic acid was added to chitosan solution in different weight ratios and after solvent evaporation thin films were formed. The properties of the films such as thermal stability, Young modulus, ultimate tensile strength, moisture content, swelling behavior before and after UV-irradiation were measured and compared. Moreover, the surface properties were studied by contact angle measurements and by the use of atomic force microscopy.The results showed that UV-irradiation caused both, the degradation of the specimen and its cross-linking. The surface of the films made of chitosan modified by the addition of tannic acid was altered by UV-irradiation.