Two cellulose derivatives, quaternized cellulose (QC) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), were layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled to prepare a thin film. QC was also LbL assembled with two synthetic polyelectrolytes, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS), separately. The anti-fogging and anti-frosting properties of the assembled films were studied. QC/CMC thin film exhibits anti-fogging and anti-frosting behaviors, whereas QC/PAA and QC/PSS films do not have capacity for anti-fogging and anti-frosting. The anti-fogging and anti-frosting properties of QC/CMC film are attributed to that water molecules can be quickly adsorbed into the matrix of the film. The water adsorption of QC/CMC film was illustrated by the optical thickness increment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.