Abstract

Research on the effect of UV radiation on the properties and structural of collagen is an area of potential interest. In the present work, air-dried goatskin matrices were submitted to UV irradiation for different time intervals. Influence of UV irradiation on the morphology and various properties of goatskin collagen matrices have been investigated systematically. It was found that the tensile strength of the goatskin matrices increased slightly in the initial stages of UV irradiation (0-4h), while decreasing dramatically after irradiation for long time (8-64h). Elongation at break of goatskin matrices decreased drastically in the first 16 hours irradiation and then reached a platform. The hydrothermal shrinkage temperature and thermal degradation activation energy increased at the beginning and decreased after longer time irradiation. The water vapour transmission rate of goatskin matrices increased obviously after irradiating for 4-64 hours, following a decrease after 2 and 4 hours UV irradiation. UV irradiation resulted in a continuous decrease in sample dimensions. Scanning electron microscopy observation showed that UV irradiation induced crack and loss of skin tone. ATR-FTIR spectra of goatskin collagen showed that the positions of Amide A and Amide II bands shifted to lower wavenumbers due to the UV irradiation. It indicated that phototransformation had occurred during UV irradiation and exerted dramatic influence on the structure and properties of goatskin collagen matrices.