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Abstract
The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between polymer adhesion and post-coating thermal treatment. A novel adhesion technique was used to quantify the adhesive properties of applied acrylic films. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine the glass transition temperature of the applied polymer. Post-coating thermal treatment, or curing, was found to significantly influence the adhesive and thermomechanical properties of the applied film coating. Adhesion of triethyl citrate-plasticized films to tablets increased during storage at elevated temperatures, equilibrating within four hours. The glass transition temperature of the applied triethyl citrate-plasticized coatings also increased during curing. Equilibration of polymer properties was found to be dependent on the hydrophobicity of the plasticizer incorporated into the coating formulation, with longercuring times required for films containing the hydrophobic plasticizer tributyl citrate. The curing temperature was shown to influence polymer properties, with stronger film–tablet adhesion and higher glass transition temperatures resulting when the coated tablets were stored at higher temperatures. Substrate hydrophobicity was also found to influence the curing process, suggesting that the mechanisms involved in film formation and polymer–substrate adhesion may contribute to the internal stresses within the film.