High strength cellulose composite films with antibacterial activities were prepared by dispersing montmorillonites （MMT） into cellulose solution in LiOH/urea aqueous solvent followed by regeneration in ethanol coagulation bath, and then by soaking in 5 wt% hexadecylpyridine bromide ethanol solutions to induce the antibacterial action. The cellulose/MMT composite films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, FTIR, UV-spectra, wide angle X-ray diffraction and mechanical test. The results revealed that MMT was dispersed well in the cellulose matrix to form layer structure with a thickness of approximately 3 nm. The mechanical properties of the cellulose/MMT composite films were significantly improved to achieve 132 MP for tensile strength as a result of the MMT delamination. The hexadecylpyridine bromide was fixed well in the cellulose/MMT matrix through cation exchange, leading to the excellent antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, which is important in their practical applications.
