The Effect of Ultrasonic Vibration on the Compaction Characteristics of Ibuprofen

ABSTRACT

An ultrasonic (US) compaction rig has been developed, capable of providing compaction pressure together with high-power ultrasonic vibrations of 20 kHz to a powder or granular material in a die. The rig has been used to investigate the effect of ultrasound on the compaction properties of ibuprofen, a drug with poor compaction properties which produces tablets that are weak and frequently exhibit capping. It was found that coherent ibuprofen tablets could be prepared by ultrasound-assisted compaction at pressures as low as 20–30 MPa. Application of ultrasound before and after compaction was found not to be as effective as ultrasound applied during compaction. The breaking forces of the tablets produced with ultrasound applied during compaction were found to be consistently significantly higher than when compaction was performed conventionally, or with ultrasound applied before or after compaction. Application of ultrasound during compaction made it possible to increase tablet mechanical strength, typically by a factor of 2–5. It was concluded that pressure should be applied together with ultrasound in order to achieve a better acoustical contact, which is required to transmit vibrations from the horn to the material, and also to bond the surfaces of the particles.

Ultrasound application during ibuprofen compaction also resulted in an increase in the apparent density, in relation to the apparent density of conventionally prepared tablets, of up to 14.4%. Ultrasound appears to improve particle rearrangement and provides energy for partial melting of particle asperities and subsequent fusion of particle surfaces, so as to increase interparticulate bonding. Solid bridge formation was thought to result in a reduction of void space, which in turn reduced the rate of water penetration into the compacts and consequently increased disintegration and dissolution times.

It was found that the results of ultrasound-assisted compaction are influenced by formulation and US time. When ibuprofen was mixed with a second material, such as dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate (DCP) or microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), stronger tablets were prepared by ultrasound-assisted compaction compared to the compacts containing no filler. Positive interactions were considered to have occurred due to ultrasound-induced bonding between the two materials. With an increase in DCP and MCC concentration in ibuprofen formulations, disintegration and drug dissolution rates of the tablets produced with ultrasound significantly increased.

Using temperature-sensitive labels it was found that thermal changes occurred in powdered solids undergoing ultrasound-assisted compaction. Increases in the temperature of tablets were related to US amplitude and US time. With an increase in US amplitude from 5 to 13 µm, the temperature of the DCP tablet surface increased from 40 to 99°C. With an increase in US time from 1 to 5 sec, the temperature of the surface of ibuprofen tablets increased from 43 to 60°C. Increased tablet temperature was thought to be due to ultrasonic energy dissipation turned into heat.

X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) studies of ibuprofen tablets prepared by ultrasound-assisted compaction at 32 MPa revealed that no changes in chemical or/and crystalline structure of the material occurred when ultrasound was applied for up to 5 sec (US amplitude 7 µm). An XRD study of DCP tablets produced by ultrasound-assisted compaction at 32 MPa with ultrasound of different amplitudes (5, 7, 13 µm) applied for 2 sec indicated that no material deterioration occurred in all the tested samples.

• Ibuprofen
• Tabletting
• Ultrasound-assisted compaction