title: Mechanical Properties of a Calcium Dietary Supplement, Calcium Fumarate Trihydrate.
abstract: The mechanical properties of calcium fumarate trihydrate, a 1D coordination polymer considered for use as a calcium source for food and beverage enrichment, have been determined via nanoindentation and high-pressure X-ray diffraction with single crystals. The nanoindentation studies reveal that the elastic modulus (16.7-33.4 GPa, depending on crystallographic orientation), hardness (1.05-1.36 GPa), yield stress (0.70-0.90 GPa), and creep behavior (0.8-5.8 nm/s) can be rationalized in view of the anisotropic crystal structure; factors include the directionality of the inorganic Ca-O-Ca chain and hydrogen bonding, as well as the orientation of the fumarate ligands. High-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies show a bulk modulus of ∼ 20 GPa, which is indicative of elastic recovery intermediate between small molecule drug crystals and inorganic pharmaceutical ingredients. The combined use of nanoindentation and high-pressure X-ray diffraction techniques provides a complementary experimental approach for probing the critical mechanical properties related to tableting of these dietary supplements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, CB3 0FS, U.K.
authors.forename: Shijing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, CB3 0FS, U.K.|Lehrstuhl für Anorganische Chemie II, Ruhr-Universität Bochum , 44780 Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Henke
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, CB3 0FS, U.K.|Diamond Light Source Ltd. , Diamond House, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, U.K.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Wharmby
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Young Scientists (ICYS), International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) , Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.
authors.forename: Hamish H-M
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, CB3 0FS, U.K.|School of Physics and National High Magnetic Field Center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge , Cambridge, CB3 0FS, U.K.
authors.forename: Anthony K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Cheetham
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004548:Elasticity; D005650:Fumarates / Q000737:chemistry*; D006244:Hardness; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D005650:Fumarates; C480820:calcium fumarate