title: Non-destructive assessment of mechanical properties of microcrystalline cellulose compacts.
abstract: In the present study the mechanical properties of microcrystalline cellulose compacts compressed were studied. The resistance to crushing was tested using diametral compression testing and apparent Young's modulus was determined using consecutive uniaxial compression of the full cross-sectional area of single tablets. As non-elastic deformation during the first compression cycle and reverse plasticity were discovered, the loading phase of the second compression cycle was used to determine Young's modulus. The relative standard deviation of 10 consecutive measurements was 3.6%. The results indicate a direct correlation between crushing strength and Young's modulus, which found further support when comparing surface roughness data and radial recovery of the tablets to Young's modulus. The extrapolated elastic modulus at zero-porosity was found to be 1.80±0.08 GPa, which is slightly lower than previously reported values, confirming the complexity of measuring the elastic properties of microcrystalline cellulose compacts. The method can be used for non-destructive assessment of mechanical properties of powder compacts for example during storage studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5E), FIN-00014, Finland. Electronic address: emmi.palomaki@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Emmi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palomäki
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5E), FIN-00014, Finland.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehlers
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5E), FIN-00014, Finland.
authors.forename: Osmo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Antikainen
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Abo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6A, FI-20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Niklas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5E), FIN-00014, Finland.
authors.forename: Jouko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yliruusi
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods*; D004339:Drug Compounding / Q000379:methods*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D013607:Tablets
chemical_list: D005079:Excipients; D013607:Tablets; D002482:Cellulose; C109691:microcrystalline cellulose
keywords: Anisotropy; Elastic recovery; Mechanical strength; Microcrystalline cellulose; Microcrystalline cellulose (PubChem CID 14055602); Young’s modulus