Modified Cellulose II Powder: Preparation, Characterization, and Tableting Properties

The reaction of UICEL-A/102, a cellulose II powder recently prepared from Avicel® PH-102 by treatment with an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, with glutaraldehyde in 0.01 NHCl has been investigated to improve its binder properties, without adversely affecting the rapid disintegration characteristic. The results showed that UICEL-A/102 and glutaraldehyde when reacted in a 1:0.6 weight ratio at 100°C for 8.5 h produces a product, (hereinafter referred to as UICEL-XL), that, compared to UICEL-A/102, had a lower degree of polymerization, higher crystallinity, lower bulk density, lower tapped density, and higher porosity. Further, it showed lower yield pressure and higher crushing strength, and tensile strength values, indicating that UICEL-XL is more compressible and compactable than the starting material, UICEL-A/102. A comparison of “in-die” and “out-of-die” Heckel data indicated UICEL-XL to be less elastic than UICEL-A/102. Both UICEL-XL and UICEL-A/102 showed similar moisture sorption isotherms, and their compacts disintegrated rapidly in water. In conclusion, the glutaraldehyde-treated cellulose II powder not only serves as good a disintegrant as the untreated cellulose powder but also possesses superior binder properties.