Facile Fabrication of Methylcellulose/PLA Membrane with Improved Properties

With the rapid exhaustion of fossil resources, and environmental pollution relative to the use of fossil-based products, developing eco-friendly products using biomass and/or biodegradable resources is becoming increasingly conspicuous. In this study, ecofriendly and biodegradable composite membranes containing varying MC/PLA (methylcellulose/polylactic acid) mass ratios were prepared. The properties and structures of the MC/PLA membranes were studied by mechanical testing,C-13 NMR techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and hot compression. The MC/PLA membranes displayed markedly improved tensile strength and elongation at the MC/PLA mass ratio range of 99:1 to 9:1. The tensile strength and elongation of the MC/PLA (97:3) membrane was found to be the optimum, at 30% and 35% higher than the neat MC, respectively. It was also found that hot compression could improve the tensile strength and elongation of the membranes. At the same time, the membranes showed enough good thermal stability. In addition, the effect of MC/PLA mass ratio on morphologies of the membranes were studied by microscopy technique.