Preparation and properties of superfine wool powder/chitosan complex membrane

In this paper, the superfine wool powder and chitosan complex membranes were prepared. Their structure and properties were studied by swelling capacity, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravity, and tensile testing. The results showed that the addition of wool powder improved water resistance of the film and had little effect on thermal degradation of the blended membrane, while it decreased the integrity of intrinsic crystalline structure and thus the tensile property of the blended films. Absorption studies were carried out to investigate the interaction of complex membrane with a natural dye, Rhizoma coptidis. The results showed that the dye uptake of the membrane with Rhizoma coptidis increased with wool powder content.