Influence of UV radiation on the viscoelastic properties and dynamic viscosity of bovine hide using dynamic mechanical analysis

Abstract

The wide range of applications of collagen-based materials has triggered research interest especially on the effect of environmental factors in that these materials are exposed to during processing and application. As the applications of these collagenous materials continue to increase such as in the field of medicine, more studies are required to gain more insight into their properties. Collagen is a natural biopolymer whose structure is sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiations, which alters its mechanical properties. In this study, the influence of artificial UV irradiations, wavelength 254 nm, on the viscoelastic properties and dynamic viscosity of both pickled and tanned hide was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis. The influence of tanning on the viscoelastic properties and dynamic viscosity was also investigated. Freshly flayed bovine hide was conventionally prepared to pickling stage and split into two …