Mechanical properties of porous polylactide/chitosan blend membranes

Porous membrane's were fabricated using chitosan and poly(DL-lactide) or poly(L-lactide) blends through a combinatorial technique. Well-controlled porous structures could be achieved by optimizing processing conditions. The ductility and toughness of dry porous membranes were improved by incorporating an increased amount of chitosan, and the physical strength and dimensional stability of hydrated porous membranes were preserved if the components were used in a suitable ratio. Although there were measurable differences in the pore-size distributions of membranes with the same composition prepared under identical conditions, this showed no effect in their dry states.