Surface characteristics of UV-irradiated chitin-based polyurethane elastomers

Chitin-based polyurethane elastomers (PUEs) constituted on 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and extended with blends of chitin/1,4-butane diol were first synthesized via two step polymerization technique and then irradiated for 50, 100 and 200 h in an UV exposure chamber as such the spectral distribution of the light is good match for terrestrial solar radiation. The surface properties of the irradiated PU samples were investigated by contact angle measurements, surface free energy and water absorption (%), total work of water adhesion to polymer and equilibrium degree of swelling. The effects of UV-irradiation time and chitin contents in chain extenders (CE) proportion on surface properties were investigated. Results of the aforementioned surface techniques revealed that the UV-irradiated polyurethane samples were affected by varying the UV exposure period.