INFLUENCE OF CURING TEMPERATURE ON THERMAL PROPERTIES AND UV STABILITY OF HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE CROSS-LINKED WITH GLYOXYLIC ACID

Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) can be cross-linked to films by means of glyoxylic acid. The cross-linking temperature (room temperature up to 100 degrees C) influences the thermal and mechanical properties of the formed films, in which the impact on the tensile strength is higher than that on the thermal stability. A temperature of 70 degrees C can be specified as optimal cross-linking temperature. In addition to the thermal and mechanical properties, the UV stability of the films is investigated by UV-GC/MS. Artificial aging of the films indicates a degradability of the cross-linked HPC films. The lower the cross-linking temperature of the HPC films, the faster is the degradation caused by artificial aging.