1 research outputs found
Triboluminescence from Pharmaceutical Formulations
Triboluminescence
(TL) is shown to enable selective detection of
trace crystallinity within nominally amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs).
ASDs are increasingly used for the preparation of pharmaceutical formulations,
the physical stability of which can be negatively impacted by trace
crystallinity introduced during manufacturing or storage. In the present
study, TL measurements of a model ASD consisting of griseofulvin in
polyethylene glycol produced limits of detection of 140 ppm. Separate
studies of the particle size dependence of sucrose crystals and the
dependence on polymorphism in clopidogrel bisulfate particles are
both consistent with a mechanism for TL closely linked to the piezoelectric
response of the crystalline fraction. Whereas disordered polymeric
materials cannot support piezoelectric activity, molecular crystals
produced from homochiral molecules adopt crystal structures that are
overwhelmingly symmetry-allowed for piezoelectricity. Consequently,
TL may provide a broadly applicable and simple experimental route
for sensitive detection of trace crystallinity within nominally amorphous
materials