Abstract:Bacterial cellulose-based functional nanocomposite membranes were fabricated using an efficient and scalable papermaking process (filtration and hot pressing), with bacterial cellulose (BC), chitin nanofibrils (CH), and zein nanoparticles (ZN) as nanosized building blocks. The effects of the mass ratio of BC to CH and the content of ZN on the structure and properties of the composite membranes were studied. The effect of incorporating thymol (TH) on the thermal stability and antibacterial properties of the membranes were further investigated. The results showed that the tensile strength (from 183.45 MPa to 171.38 MPa) and elongation at break (from 2.58% to 2.11%) of the composite film did not significantly change when the mass ratio of BC to CH was decreased from 10:0 to 5:5, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy, thickness evaluation, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis confirmed that ZN could be effectively incorporated into the BC-CH membranes. Further, the contact angle data (from 49.15° to 77.28°) indicated that the surface hydrophobicity of the composites was improved in the presence of ZN. The thermal stability of the composite membranes was not affected by the addition of thymol, but their antibacterial effect was improved. Thus, the surface hydrophobicity of BC can be improved by compositing with CH, ZN, and TH to prepare new BC-based functional membrane materials. These results can provide guidance for the development of BC composite membrane with additional functional properties.
