Terahertz detection of porosity and porous microstructure in pharmaceutical tablets: A review

[Display omitted] Pores are inevitably produced during the production of pharmaceutical tablets, which greatly affects a range of tablet properties such as hardness, friability, tensile strength, disintegration, dissolution, and ultimately the bioavailability of an orally administered tablet. The pursuit of speed and non-destructiveness in detection of pores in pharmaceutical tablets has recently ushered in the use of terahertz (THz) techniques. This review briefly introduces the mechanism of the formation of the pores in tablets and the traditional methods of detecting them. The main focus is the relevant research work of THz technology applied to the detection of the pores in tablets, including the quantitative detection of porosity and analysis of porous microstructure. It also discusses the challenges and the future development directions of THz technology in the detection of pores in tablets.