Electrostatic powder coated osmotic pump tablets: Influence factors of coating powder adhesion and film formation

Abstract

Electrostatic powder coating of osmotic pump tablets becomes increasingly attractive in pharmaceutical industry due to its dry coating process. The present study aimed to investigate the influence factors of electrostatic powder coating of osmotic pump tablets with ultrafine powders during the powder adhesion and film formation. The results of the powder adhesion evaluation indicated that the powder adhesion was significantly influenced by the liquid plasticizers and the charging voltage of the electrostatic spray gun. SEM and drug dissolution tests illustrated that coating particle size and curing time and temperature could significantly influenced the film formation process, a finer coating particle size and-/or higher curing temperature and-/or longer curing time led to a more continuous and uniform coating film. Those results indicate that a well-controlled coating film with high qualities could be fabricated by a well-designed electrostatic powder coating, suggesting it is a promising alternative for preparing osmotic drug delivery systems.