Observations of coarsening of air voids in a polymer-highly-soluble crystalline matrix during dissolution

A combination of magnetic resonance imaging and x-ray microcomputed tomography has been used to visualize the development of the internal micro-structure within compressed tablets made from a combination of insoluble particles (Eudragit, a polymer) and soluble particles (diltiazem hydrochloride, a drug), during dissolution in water. Air voids in the tablet are seen to coarsen. The size distribution of the air voids is well fitted by a log-normal distribution with a mean size that grows linearly with time. There is evidence for both diffusion of voids and sudden collapse of individual voids, presumably as they coalesce. The behavior of the voids is studied and compared with models of coarsening; the implications for tablet dissolution are considered.