Quantitative Characterization of Pharmaceutical Powder Surface Interactions Using Inverse Gas Chromatography-Derived Surface Energy Profiles
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Quantitative characterization of surface and interfacial properties is important for understanding the behavior of pharmaceutical powders, but conventional approaches to powder wettability and surface free energy can be influenced by measurement procedures and sample-specific factors. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) provides a sensitive approach for characterizing powder surface energetics as a function of fractional surface coverage; however, the reproducibility and interpretation of IGC-derived surface energy profiles require careful evaluation. In this study, the reproducibility of IGC-derived surface energy profiles was examined using pharmaceutical excipients, and the resulting energetic characteristics were compared with wettability measurements obtained using sessile drop and Washburn methods. Surface-energy profiles were further used to calculate thermodynamic work-of-adhesion profiles for powder–water interactions and for drug–excipient systems. Distinct differences in surface-energy profiles were observed among pharmaceutical excipients, including materials with identical nominal chemical compositions but different grades. Drug–excipient work-of-adhesion profiles further demonstrated coverage-dependent differences in calculated interfacial interactions among pharmaceutical materials. The results demonstrate that IGC-derived surface-energy profiles can provide reproducible characterization of pharmaceutical powder surfaces and can be extended to quantitative evaluation of solid–liquid and solid–solid interfacial interactions. These findings support the use of surface-energy profiles as a quantitative framework for characterization of pharmaceutical powders and for comparison of potential interfacial interactions among formulation components.
Source: ChemRxiv
Authors: Ken Yoshioka, Kohei Tahara
Language: English
Subfield: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Chugai Pharmaceutical
OpenAlex ID: W7221092072