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Bioplastics Leader Relies on Material Characterisation Tools to Optimise Production
A new Generation Nanoparticle Characterisation System
LABORATORY PRODUCTS
Vacuum Measurements Directly at the Process Chamber
NatureWorks LLC is using a variety of material characterisation tools from Malvern Instruments to accelerate product development and achieve market leading quality standards. NatureWorks is the world’s leading supplier, under the trade name Ingeo™, of polylactic acid, a high performance polymer with a carbon footprint significantly lower than conventional petroleum-based alternatives. Data generated using the Viscotek TDAmax, Malvern’s advanced triple detector gel permeation chromatography (GPC) system, and the Rosand RH- 7, a floorstanding capillary rheometer, enable the company to tailor the polymer to meet the exacting demands of the polymer processing community. In addition, a Viscotek dilute solution viscosity system provides sensitive quality control.
Ingeo is used commercially in the production of extruded and thermoformed containers, fibres and non-wovens, films, and extrusion and emulsion coatings. In many cases it is processed - extruded, blown and injection moulded - using conventional equipment with only minor modification. While this simplifies the displacement of traditional polymers in established markets it demands tight control of polymer properties.
“Both the Rosand and TDAmax have specific features that are of significant value to us,” commented Jed Randall, Research Scientist at NatureWorks. “We use the Rosand (our second) to assess the effect of additives and molecular structure on extrusion properties such as die swell, melt fracture and shear thinning behaviour. The melt haul-off device is especially useful as it gives a direct measure of melt strength, a key variable for fiber production and melt processing. With the TDAmax we measure absolute molecular weight and the degree of branching in the polymer, an important control parameter.”
The Viscotek TDAmax has an integrated triple detector array that includes a revolutionary low angle light scattering (LALS) detector and a four-capillary differential viscometer. It measures absolute molecular weight, and intrinsic viscosity data, which together quantify branching and molecular size. The Rosand RH7 is a twin-bore floor standing capillary rheometer with unsurpassed performance in terms of speed control, accuracy and dynamic operating range. The haul-off device is an attachment to the rheometer that is used to measure the melt strength and to simulate fibre drawing and blow moulding processes.
Circle no. 166
NanoSight announced the release of the NS500 system. The NS500 incorporates new hardware and software to deliver NanoSight’s growing capability in particle-by-particle characterisation in an automated package. The first system is in use at the University of Oxford in the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the John Radcliffe Hospital as part of a programme supported by the Wellcome Foundation. NanoSight’s technology, known as Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), provides a high-resolution particle size distribution, and not by DLS (dynamic light scattering).
NTA detects individual particles as small as 20nm and, in real time, simultaneously tracks and sizes whole populations. The result is a particle size distribution that provides researchers with an over view of their samples showing everything in the whole range 20 - 1,000nm. NTA also provides count and concentration, together with a unique view, which validates these results.
The NS500 adds fluorescence capability, enabling the user to tune into individual particles, with sensitivity to detect individual quantum dots whilst eliminating background interference of other particles and media. Standard beads may be used to bind to single particles for optimum study.
The fluid handling capability of NS500 provides the user with auto sample presentation and in-situ cleaning. It is now a routine process to clean the cell with the ability to purge, flush and load samples through user-customisable software. Dilution may also be optimised then controlled in this way. Ease of use is further enhanced with a motorised focus function to readily home in on the particles under study. In direct response to user feedback this is augmented with an indexed motorised stage, controlled through the software and providing excellent repeatability in positioning. The temperature control of the cell offers a broad range (15˚C to 55˚C) and programmable temperature cycling, with rapid attainment of set-point facilitating faster sample measurement and turnaround.
The goal of the NS500 is to provide an easy-to-use, reproducible platform applicable for specific and general nanoparticle characterisation use. So whether the application is to control size in nanoparticle development, provide rapid virus titer or measure the kinetics of protein aggregation, the NS500 system is the solution.
Circle no. 167
The new digital THERMOVAC TM101 vacuum gauge from Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum offers a new method of directly measuring the vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber. The measurement data is acquired through the hand set TM101 and can be processed further using software. The THERMOVAC TM101 hand set permits vacuum measurements spanning seven decades (1200 to 5x10-4 mbar). Moreover, the TM101 offers the possibility of an adjustable gas correction factor, a minimum and maximum memory function and pressure measurements independent of the type of gas above 15 mbar. The data logging function is capable of transferring 2000 measurement records from the internal memory via the USB interface to a PC. The VacuGraph software specifically developed for the TM101 archives and visualises the pressure function. The measurement data can subsequently be exported by way of an ASCII file to Microsoft Excel, for example.
Modern enterprises use the TM101 for checks as well as to ensure operation and for quality assurance of vacuum systems. The rugged, handy TM101, which is insensitive to humidity (IP40), is also ideal for servicing and maintenance assignments.
A practical application example is the utilisation of this unit in vacuum packaging in the foodstuff industry. The TM101 may be affixed to the package with or without the foodstuff. When evacuating the air inside the package, the TM101 automatically starts to record the pressure. The measurement data is then indicated on the display or optionally only the minimum and maximum values are indicated. The up to 2,000 measurement records may then subsequently be visualised and processed further through the VacuGraph software. Thus, the pressure conditions in a package can be checked for a maximum period of 75 hours and thereafter documented by way of quality assurance records. Deviating pressure values or leaks in the packages can therefore be determined quickly.
The TM101 is also used on coating systems, in the area of chemical process engineering, in refrigeration and air conditioning systems prior to charging and in the manufacture of refilling of bulbs and lamps with pressurised gas. The protection case has been designed to safely accommodate the accessories including a wide voltage range power supply unit for long-term measurements, interface cable and VacuGraph software.
Circle no. 168
World’s First Commercial Apparatus for Dissolution Testing of Inhaled Drugs
Copley Scientific has launched the world’s first commercially available apparatus designed specifically for dissolution testing of inhaled drug formulations. Based on a concept developed by Professor Jason McConville and his team at the College of Pharmacy, University of Texas, a new NGI dissolution cup and membrane holder enables dissolution testing of size-fractionated particles selected from the emitted dose. Simple to use and employing analytical methodology based on established pharmacopoeial techniques for transdermal patches, it provides information that allows developers to more closely tailor inhaled drug delivery. The launch underlines Copley Scientific’s commitment to commercialising new analytical techniques for inhaled product testing and to providing the very best tools for development and QC. Dissolution testing is widely applied in the development and manufacture of oral dosage forms, but is not yet in widespread use for inhaled products, where the prime focus is successful deposition in the lung. Currently there are no official dissolution test methods for inhaled products. However, increasing use of the pulmonary route to deliver larger molecules and/or systemic therapies means growing emphasis on the rate of active pharmaceutical ingredient dissolution. Dissolution information allows the development of more sophisticated inhalation products with delayed release characteristics and/or more closely controlled drug delivery profiles.
In dissolution testing for inhaled drugs the respirable portion of the emitted dose is of primary interest. The new solution from Copley Scientific addresses this by integrating conventional tablet dissolution testing equipment within the Next Generation Impactor (NGI), a system used routinely for aerodynamic particle size measurement to size fractionate a sample. The NGI dissolution cup fits into a conventional NGI cup tray but has a 50mm removable insert in the impaction area, allowing the collection of particles lying in a specific size fraction. The collected sample is tested in a dissolution tester using a procedure very similar to the ‘Paddle over Disc’ technique described in the pharmacopoeia for transdermal patches. Copley Scientific also offers a similar solution for use with the Andersen Cascade Impactor.
Circle no. 169
INTERNATIONAL LABMATE - FEBRUARY/MARCH 2010 - LABORATORY PRODUCTS
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