Structure and properties of cellulose/chitin blended hydrogel membranes fabricated via a solution pre-gelation technique

High-strength cellulose/chitin blended hydrogel membranes were fabricated via a solution pre-gelation method. The morphology and structure of the resultant membranes were investigated by SEM, WXRD and FTIR. The mechanical properties and permeability of the membranes were determined by tensile test and in situ UV–visible spectrophotometry. Instead of the loose mesh-like structure and high crystallinity of the common membranes, remarkably dense aggregation structure and low crystallinity of the novel cellulose/chitin membranes were successfully created through the solution pre-gelation process. It effectively promoted the mechanical performance of the hydrogel membranes. Moreover, the structure and properties of the membranes closely depended on the chitin content and pre-gelation temperature. Dynamic rheology studies revealed the gelation-dynamics of the mixed solution accelerated and decelerated with chitin content. ATR-FTIR results indicated nonsolvent-induced phase-separation was the main mechanism for the formation of such membranes with special structure and improved performance.