In order to calibrate a model, I need to make mixtures of two or more substances with different concentrations. The substances are in powder form and the calibration model will then be used to check for test sample concentrations. For the measurements we use Raman Spectroscopy, which means that only a few points of the mixtures will be measured and that is why it is important that the mixture is homogenous.
We have an acoustic mixer to mix the powders and different parameters such as frequency and time can be set.
When mixing, it is not so much time and frequency that are important, but how much energy you "pump" during the process. Therefore, the power of your mixer is also important. You can significantly improve the mixing quality if you use not just an ultrasonic bath, but a mixer working in a passing stream (for example Hielscher, from Berlin). You can use petrographic analysis to assess mixing quality. If the components of your material have different reflectivity, then on you can divide the micrographs into sections and count the number of points with different intensities on each. Then you will be able to determine the RMS and so you will understand if you mixed well.
Thank you for your answer! I will look into calculating the pumped energy using our RAMII https://resodynmixers.com/products/labram-2/
The reflectivity of the powders are quite the same. Their molecular structures are slightly different, that‘s why we can use vibrational spectroscopy to measure the differences.
Welcome! Remember that large amounts of energy can destroy your materials. Therefore, it is important not only to stir, but also to cool!
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