Electron beam curing of methacrylated gelatin. I. Dependence of the degree of crosslinking on the irradiation dose

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science 1997-03, Vol.63 (10), p.1303-1312
• Main Authors: Scherzer, T., Beckert, A., Langguth, H., Rummel, S., Mehnert, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: analytical characterization; Applied sciences; Crosslinking and degradation; dose dependence of the crosslinking behavior; electron beam curing; electron-induced side reactions; Exact sciences and technology; methacrylated gelatin; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymers and radiations
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4628(19970307)63:10<1303::AID-APP9>3.0.CO;2-O

Gelatin was chemically modified with different amounts of glycidyl methacrylate. The methacrylated gelatins were crosslinked by electron irradiation. The resulting solid polymer‐like coatings were analytically characterized with respect to the content of residual double bonds and the amount of extractables. The dose dependence of these features was studied using FT‐Raman spectroscopy and HPLC. The degree of cure was found to be strongly dependent on the water content in the coating during the curing process. EPR investigations confirmed a significantly lower radical concentration in wet cured films. Additionally, the amount of gaseous and volatile products generated during electron beam irradiation of the samples was analyzed by GC, ion chromatography, and GC/MS. The results indicate that radiolytic decomposition of the gelatin derivatives during electron beam curing is of minor importance. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 1303–1312, 1997