Influence of Drug Load on the Printability and Solid-State Properties of 3D-Printed Naproxen-Based Amorphous Solid Dispersion

Fused deposition modelling-based 3D printing of pharmaceutical products is facing challenges like brittleness and printability of the drug-loaded hot-melt extruded filament feedstock and stabilization of the solid-state form of the drug in the final product. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the drug load on printability and physical stability. The poor glass former naproxen (NAP) was hot-melt extruded with Kollidon^® VA 64 at 10–30% w/w drug load. The extrudates (filaments) were characterised using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was confirmed that an amorphous solid dispersion was formed. A temperature profile was developed based on the results from TGA, DSC, and DMA and temperatures used for 3D printing were selected from the profile. The 3D-printed tablets were characterised using DSC, X-ray computer microtomography (XµCT), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). From the DSC and XRPD analysis, it was found that the drug in the 3D-printed tablets (20 and 30% NAP) was amorphous and remained amorphous after 23 weeks of storage (room temperature (RT), 37% relative humidity (RH)). This shows that adjusting the drug ratio can modulate the brittleness and improve printability without compromising the physical stability of the amorphous solid dispersion.     

Reactivation of a Poisoned Metallocene Catalyst by Irradiation with Visible Light

Both oxygen and carbon dioxide are efficient catalyst poisons, remarkably reducing the ethylene polymerisation rate, increasing the molecular weight of the resulting polyethylene, and broadening its molecular weight distribution (MWD). By introducing visible light into the contaminated polymerisation system, the catalyst activity was totally recovered. The molecular weight and MWD became similar to those of a non‐poisoned system, supporting the formation of new active sites during poisoning that are responsible for the lower activity and broader MWD.     

Shape transformation of poly(butadiene)‐b‐poly(ethyleneoxide) plus DTAB compound micelles in aqueous solutions

The micellar shape of Poly(butadiene)‐b‐poly(ethyleneoxide) (PB‐PEO) plus Dodecyltrimethylammoniumbromide (DTAB) compound micelles was investigated by light scattering, small‐angle X‐ray scattering and small‐angle neutron scattering in dependence of the molar ratio between block copolymer and surfactant. The given block copolymer forms cylindrical micelles in binary aqueous solution, which transform to spherical aggregates upon the addition of a sufficiently high amount of DTAB. It is interesting to note that the micellar shape seems to be a bistable feature, in the sense that it depends not only on the molar ratio of BCP and DTAB but also in a predictable manner on the preparation procedure of the solution.