Triboelectrification of Pharmaceutical powders: A critical review

Barbara R Conway,Muhammad U Ghori

doi:10.5920/bjpharm.2018.08

Abstract

The majority of pharmaceutical and polymer powders are insulating materials that have the propensity to attain and then retain triboelectric charge. This phenomenon can potentially give rise to issues during handling and processing of materials. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms controlling charging behaviour can inform effective control of the process and potentially enhance the final product quality and performance. Therefore, the objective of this review article is to summarise the principles of triboelectric charging and to understand the various contributing factors. It is intuitively expected that the acquired understanding can be helpful in improving the efficiency, quality, performance and safety of powder processing phenomena and final products.

Highlights

In pharmaceutical manufacturing, processing operations such as mixing, spray-drying, coating and pneumatic conveying, have a tendency to induce an electrostatic charge on powder particles due to inter and intra-particulate collisions (Carter et al, 1992)
It was found that ɑ-lactose monohydrate gained a higher magnitude of negative charge following contact with stainless steel than with acetal, and a higher positive charge following contact with polyvinylchloride (PVC) than with polypropylene, again demonstrating that charge generation and transfer have a linear relationship with the level of work function
The results showed that the magnitude of charge on the lactose samples increased with increasing particle size, over the range 45-125 pm and 63-180 μm for crystalline and spray dried lactose, respectively

Summary

Introduction

In pharmaceutical manufacturing, processing operations such as mixing, spray-drying, coating and pneumatic conveying, have a tendency to induce an electrostatic charge on powder particles due to inter and intra-particulate collisions (Carter et al, 1992). It was found that ɑ-lactose monohydrate gained a higher magnitude of negative charge following contact with stainless steel than with acetal, and a higher positive charge following contact with polyvinylchloride (PVC) than with polypropylene, again demonstrating that charge generation and transfer have a linear relationship with the level of work function.

Results

Conclusion