THESIS - ROC CH ... - FINAL - resubmission.pdf - University of Guelph

6.3 METHODS
6.3.1 SAMPLE PREPARATIONS
The overall process can be seen in Figure 6.1. The formulation of the SPI/SMF blend
film contained SPI (100 parts), water (70 parts), glycerol (50 parts) and varying amounts of SMF
at 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5% (SMF/SPI mass ratio) and are designated as SMF0.25, SMF0.5,
SMF1.0, and SMF2.5 respectively. SNF fibers at 0.25% w/wSPI were prepared as comparison,
but additional loadings could not be carried out due to insufficient yields acquired from the
extraction process. Preparation of blend films was first done by premixing water and glycerol.
SMF suspended in water from the extraction process was homogenized with water/glycerol
solution via rotor/stator homogenizer for 5 min (PowerGen Model 1000, Fisher Scientific,
Ottawa, ON, Canada). The SMF/water/glycerol solution was added to SPI using a
programmable dispensing pump (DP-200, New Brunswick Scientific Co., INC, Edison, New
Jersey, USA) at a controlled rate of 5 mL for every 2 seconds. The addition of the solution to
SPI occurred continuously during mixing in a kitchen mixer (SM-55 Stand Mixer, Cuisinart,
Canada). Mixing speed was set to the maximum level of 12 and was left to mix for 15 min. The
mixture yielded a clumpy damp powder and was equilibrated for 12 hours in a sealed plastic
bag prior to extrusion.
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