Development and modification of ethylene glycol grafted chitosan films by photocuring

Chitosan was extracted from the dried shrimp shell waste through the intermediate product chitin. The prepared chitin and chitosan were investigated by FT-IR in order to ensure the deacetylation. Thin films of chitosan solution were prepared by casting method and its mechanical properties like tensile strength and elongation at break were studied. Ethylene glycol is now being used in grafting purpose because of its hydrophilicity and biocompatibility with low biodegradability. Chitosan films were cured with ethylene glycol (EG) at various ratios using photo-curing technique. Soaking time, concentration of EG and UV radiation intensities were optimized with extent of mechanical properties of the cured films. The EG-cured chitosan films treated with 5% ethylene glycol (EG) and 2% photoinitiator (Irgacure-651) showed the best performance after 15th UV passes for 20 min soaking time.