Preparation of hydroxylated lecithin complexed iodine/carboxymethyl chitosan/sodium alginate composite membrane by microwave drying and its applications in infected burn wound treatment

•Iodine was complexed with HL to improve its stability and complexing efficiency.•HLI/CMCS/SA composite membrane was prepared via microwave drying method.•The membrane showed excellent comprehensive properties.•The membrane exhibited pH controllable iodine release and antibacterial properties.•It exhibited high repairing efficiency for seawater immersed wound infection. Improving the antibacterial properties of membrane wound dressings of natural polymers is crucial. Iodine is an important safe inorganic antibacterial agent, but was confined in the composition with polymer membranes due to the challenges of homogeneity and stability during drying. In the present work, iodine was complexed with hydroxylated lecithin (HL) to improve its stability and complexing efficiency for the composition with carboxymethly chitosan/sodium alginate. With the aid of microwave drying, hydroxylated lecithin complexed iodine/carboxymethly chitosan/sodium alginate (HLI/CMCS/SA) composite membranes with homogeneously distributions of HLI, high contents of activated iodine, good mechanical and swelling properties, proper water vapor permeability, pH controllable iodine release and excellent antibacterial properties were prepared. The composite membranes exhibited high repairing efficiencies for the infection of a rat model of the seawater immersed wound infection of deep partial-thickness burns. This novel antibacterial composite membrane can be potentially used as a high performance wound dressing for treating and repairing open trauma infections.