An insight into the process of tablet formation of microcrystalline cellulose

The present paper aims to show whether the shrinking of the microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) tablets can be derived from underlying processes and whether these processes can be visualized on a nanoscale level. Tableting of MCC was performed on an instrumented eccentric tableting machine to a maximum relative density (ρ_rel,max) of 0.90 of the tablets. The apparent density of the tablets was analyzed by helium pycnometry after tableting. The breaking surface of a MCC tablet was analyzed directly after tableting continuously by video in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) at constant humidity. Further the breaking surface was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after freeze fracturing. The results show that firstly apparent density by helium pycnometry increases after tableting and that secondly inside the tablet the fiber strength decreased while also the gaps between the fibers increased as was visualized by ESEM. Further the results by TEM indicate that the decrease in fiber strength is caused by a parallel orientation of the MCC microcrystals which is induced by a mechanical activation due to tableting. In conclusion the measured shrinking MCC tablets after tableting is caused by processes on a nanoscale level.