18. Effects of Surface Energy Heterogeneity of API/Excipient Blends on Blend Uniformity
Daniel J. Burnett, Armando R. Garcia, Jerry Y.Y. Heng, and Frank Thielmann
Blend uniformity is a function of both the formulation and processing conditions. Poor uniformity generates
unacceptable amounts of discarded products, resulting in significant loss of revenue to the manufacturer.
Various chemical and physical properties like particle size, particle shape, and surface properties can affect
mixing behavior. When large difference in these material properties exist between the active components
and excipients, de-mixing effects can occur. In this study, the surface energy values of paracetamol, lactose,
various physical mixtures of the two, and final capsule blend have been measured and their potential
effects on blend uniformity investigated.
19. Impact of Flow Rate and Exposure Time on Humidity-Induced Crystallization of Salbutamol Sulphate
Daniel J. Burnett, Armando R. Garcia, Jerry Y.Y. Heng, and Frank Thielmann
The deposition of active ingredients, delivered via dry powder inhalers is known to be affected by the
humidity in the lung. Humidity effects can cause a change in the aerodynamic particle size distribution
due to hypertonic shrinkage or hypotonic growth. Other factors are agglomeration of particles facilitated
by crystallization of amorphous sites on the particle surface. A similar mechanism is also dominant for
the condensational growth of nanoaerosol particles in the upper airways. While these factors are well
known, it is poorly understood whether the equilibrium between lung humidity and particle surface is fully
established. This depends on the inspiratory flow rate and exposure time of a particle in the airways. While
these factors are well known, it is poorly understood whether the equilibrium between lung humidity
and particle surface is fully established. This depends on the inspiratory flow rate and exposure time
of a particle in the airways. Especially in the case of agglomeration due to crystallization of amorphous
sites the above-mentioned factors strongly affect the crystallization kinetics and therefore the degree of
agglomeration/ crystallization. This study investigates the flow rate and exposure time dependency of
water-induced crystallization of salbutamol sulphate (SS) as a model compound at high humidity.
20. Moisture Sorption Properties of Different Poloxamer Grades by Dynamic Vapor Sorption combined
with In-situ Raman Spectroscopy
Daniel J. Burnett, Armando R. Garcia, Jerry Y.Y. Heng, Frank Thielmann, Yidan Lan, Shaukat Ali, Kai Zhuang and
Nigel Langley
Water sorption properties are crucial for physical characterization of excipients used in pharmaceutical
formulation. An important group of excipients is Poloxamers, which are nonionic triblock copolymers
composed of a central hydrophobic block of polypropylene glycol, covalently linked with two hydrophilic
blocks of polyethylene glycol on each side. The water sorption isotherms of Poloxamers are important
because of lack of such data in the literature, and relevant to a robust formulation development. In this
study, we have investigated the moisture sorption for a range of Poloxamer grades.