Effect of colloidal silicon dioxide and moisture on powder flow properties: Predicting in-process performance using...

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Materials Science
• Powder Technology

Background:

• Poor powder flow of excipients like lactose 200M hinders efficient tablet manufacturing.
• Glidants are crucial for improving powder flowability in pharmaceutical formulations.
• Understanding particle interactions is key to optimizing powder performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of colloidal silicon dioxide (CSD) on the powder flow properties of lactose 200M.
• To determine the optimal concentration range of CSD for enhancing powder flow.
• To correlate powder flow improvements with die filling performance in tablet manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of binary mixtures of lactose 200M with varying ratios of CSD.
• Utilized a modern image-based flow measuring technique to assess powder flow.
• Investigated subtle variations in flowability due to small changes in CSD concentration (0.025% w/w).
• Empirically assessed the impact of moisture content on powder flow.

Main Results:

• A significant improvement in powder flow performance was observed with CSD addition.
• An efficient range of CSD concentration was identified between 0.10% and 0.50% w/w.
• The study predicted improved die filling performance based on observed flowability changes.
• Moisture content was confirmed to significantly influence powder flow properties.

Conclusions:

• Colloidal silicon dioxide effectively enhances the flow properties of poorly flowing lactose 200M.
• The optimal CSD concentration for improved powder flow is between 0.10% and 0.50% w/w.
• This concentration range offers superior performance compared to higher amounts typically used in the pharmaceutical industry.