Simultaneous Synchrotron WAXD and Fast Scanning (Chip) Calorimetry: On the (Isothermal) Crystallization of HDPE and PA11 at High Supercoolings and Cooling Rates up to 200 °C s(-1).

An experimental setup, making use of a Flash DSC 1 prototype, is presented in which materials can be studied simultaneously by fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) and synchrotron wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Accumulation of multiple, identical measurements results in high quality, millisecond WAXD patterns. Patterns at every degree during the crystallization and melting of high density polyethylene at FSC typical scanning rates from 20 up to 200 °C s(-1) are discussed in terms of the temperature and scanning rate dependent material crystallinities and crystal densities. Interestingly, the combined approach reveals FSC thermal lag issues, for which can be corrected. For polyamide 11, isothermal solidification at high supercooling yields a mesomorphic phase in less than a second, whereas at very low supercooling crystals are obtained. At intermediate supercooling, mixtures of mesomorphic and crystalline material are generated at a ratio proportional to the supercooling. This ratio is constant over the isothermal solidification time.

Combination of TREF, high-temperature HPLC, FTIR and HPer DSC for the comprehensive analysis of complex polypropylene copolymers.

A novel, powerful analytical technique, preparative temperature rising elution fractionation (prep TREF)/high-temperature (HT)-HPLC/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)/high-performance differential scanning calorimetry (HPer DSC)), has been introduced to study the correlation between the polymer chain microstructure and the thermal behaviour of various components in a complex impact polypropylene copolymer (IPC). For the comprehensive analysis of this complex material, in a first step, prep TREF is used to produce less complex but still heterogeneous fractions. These chemically heterogeneous fractions are completely separated by using a highly selective chromatographic separation method--high-temperature solvent gradient HPLC. The detailed structural and thermal analysis of the HPLC fractions was conducted by offline coupling of HT-HPLC with FTIR spectroscopy and a novel DSC method--HPer DSC. Three chemically different components were identified in the mid-elution temperature TREF fractions. For the first component, identified as isotactic polypropylene homopolymer by FTIR, the macromolecular chain length is found to be an important factor affecting the melting and crystallisation behaviour. The second component relates to ethylene-propylene copolymer molecules with varying ethylene monomer distributions and propylene tacticity distributions. For the polyethylene component (last eluting component in all semi-crystalline TREF fractions), it was found that branching produced defects in the long crystallisable ethylene sequences that affected the thermal properties. The different species exhibit distinctively different melting and crystallisation behaviour, as documented by HPer DSC. Using this novel approach of hyphenated techniques, the chain structure and melting and crystallisation behaviour of different components in a complex copolymer were investigated systematically.

Upscaling of the hot-melt extrusion process: comparison between laboratory scale and pilot scale production of solid dispersions with miconazole and Kollicoat IR.

Since only limited amount of drug is available in early development stages, the extruder design has evolved towards smaller batch sizes, with a more simple design. An in dept study about the consequences of the differences in design is mandatory and little can be found in literature. Miconazole and Kollicoat IR were used as model drug and carrier for this study. Two series of solid dispersions were made with a laboratory scale (internal circulation-simple screw design) and a pilot scale extruder (continuous throughput-modular screw design). Efforts were made to match the operating parameters as close as possible (residence time, extrusion temperature and screw speed). The samples were analyzed with modulated DSC straight after production and after exact 24h and 15 days storage at -26 °C. The kinetic miscibility of the samples prepared with the laboratory scale extruder was slightly higher than the samples prepared with the pilot scale extruder. As the solid dispersions with high drug load were unstable over time, demixing occurred, slightly faster for the samples prepared with the laboratory scale extruder. After 15 days, the levels of molecular mixing were comparable, pointing to the predictive value of samples prepared on laboratory scale.

Comparison between hot-melt extrusion and spray-drying for manufacturing solid dispersions of the graft copolymer of ethylene glycol and vinylalcohol.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of the manufacturing method (spray-drying or hot-melt extrusion) on the kinetic miscibility of miconazole and the graft copolymer poly(ethyleneglycol-g-vinylalcohol). The effect of heat pre-treatment of solutions used for spray-drying and the use of spray-dried copolymer as excipient for hot-melt extrusion was investigated. METHOD: The solid dispersions were prepared at different drug-polymer ratios and analyzed with modulated differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction. RESULTS: Miconazole either mixed with the PEG-fraction of the copolymer or crystallized in the same or a different polymorph as the starting material. The kinetic miscibility was higher for the solid dispersions obtained from solutions which were pre-heated compared to those spray-dried from solutions at ambient temperature. Hot-melt extrusion resulted in an even higher mixing capability. Here the use of the spray-dried copolymer did not show any benefit concerning the kinetic miscibility of the drug and copolymer, but it resulted in a remarkable decrease in the torque experienced by the extruder allowing extrusion at lower temperature and torque. CONCLUSION: The manufacturing method has an influence on the mixing capacity and phase behavior of solid dispersions. Heat pre-treatment of the solutions before spray-drying can result in a higher kinetic miscibility. Amorphization of the copolymer by spray-drying before using it as an excipient for hot-melt extrusion can be a manufacturing benefit.

Characterization of the copolymer poly(ethyleneglycol-g-vinylalcohol) as a potential carrier in the formulation of solid dispersions.

In order to fully exploit the graft copolymer poly(ethyleneglycol-g-vinylalcohol) (EG/VA) in the formulation of solid dispersions, a characterization of its phase behavior before, during and after spray-drying and hot-melt extrusion is performed. Solid state characterization was performed using MDSC and XRPD. The effect of heating/cooling rate on the degree of crystallinity was studied using HPer DSC and ultra-fast chip calorimetry. EG/VA consists of two semi-crystalline fractions, one corresponding to the polyethyleneglycol (PEG) fraction (T(g)=-57 degrees C, T(m)=15 degrees C) and one corresponding to the polyvinylalcohol (PVA) fraction (T(g)=45 degrees C, T(m)=212 degrees C). XRPD analysis confirmed its semi-crystallinity, and EG/VA showed Bragg reflections comparable to those of PVA. Spray-drying at a temperature lower than 170 degrees C resulted in amorphization of the PVA fraction, while after hot-melt extrusion at different temperatures, the crystallinity of this fraction increases. In both cases, the PEG fraction is not influenced. Plasticization of the amorphous domains of the PEG or PVA fraction of the copolymer was dependent on the type and concentration of plasticizer, suggesting that also other small organic molecules like drugs may not homogeneously mix with both amorphous domains. A controlled cooling rate of 3000 degrees C/s was necessary to make the copolymer completely amorphous.

Partitioning of main and side-chain units between different phases: a solid-state 13C NMR inversion-recovery cross-polarization study on a homogeneous, metallocene-based, ethylene-1-octene copolymer.

13C NMR inversion-recovery cross-polarization experiments are used to study the phase structure and partitioning of main and side-chain groups in a homogeneous, metallocene-based, ethylene-1-octene copolymer. The results provide strong evidence for a three-phase model, i.e. a rigid, (imperfect) crystalline phase, which is mainly composed of long sequences of methylene carbon atoms of the main chain, a semi-rigid, amorphous interphase (also denoted as 'rigid amorphous'), which is enriched by chain segments bearing methylene and methine carbon atoms of the main chain, and a soft fraction of the amorphous phase (also denoted as 'mobile amorphous'), which is largely composed of side chains and short methylene sequences of the main chain.