Blend Films of Cellulose and Soy Protein Isolate Prepared from Gamma Irradiated Solutions

Blend solutions of cellulose and soy protein isolate were prepared by utilizing an amine/salt solvent system. The solutions were gamma irradiated before casting blend films that have more stable molecular network than the ones cast from non-irradiated solutions. Due to irradiation, the interactions between the two polymers altered and shifted that were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. The thermal analysis showed small differences of thermal stability between the films formed from irradiated and non-irradiated solutions. Up to 10 kGy irradiation dose on the solutions, the resulting films exhibited higher elongation at break. Furthermore, their transparency lowered. Despite their transparency, the films absorbed less water indicating the effect of gamma irradiation on the molecular structure