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Using native cellulose as the starting material, cellulose acetate- graft-ploy ( l-lactide) (CA- g-PLA) copolymers were successfully synthesized by 'one-pot' process in an ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl). In this process, cellulose was first reacted with acetic anhydride, yielding cellulose acetate (CA), and then ring opening graft copolymerization of l-lactide was carried out from the residual hydroxyl groups of CA in the same solution using 4-dimethylaminopridine (DMAP) as the catalyst. Both acetyl and ploy ( l-lactide) contents in CA- g-PLA copolymers could be well controlled by changing reaction conditions. The structures and thermal properties of CA- g-PLA copolymers were characterized. The glass transition temperature T of copolymers decreased with increasing PLA content. Compared to the pure PLA and cellulose- graft-PLA copolymers, the CA- g-PLA copolymers possessed better thermo mechanical properties in a temperature range of 60-130 °C. When the molar substitution of PLA (MS) was above 1.71, the CA- g-PLA copolymers exhibited thermoplastic behavior and could be processed by conventional thermal processing methods, such as injection molding and melt spinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]