Effect of the manufacturing conditions on the structure and permeability of polymer films intended for coating undergoing phase separation

The major aim of this work was to study the effect of two process parameters, temperature and coating flow, on permeability to water and structure of free films sprayed from mixtures of ethyl cellulose (EC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), and ethanol. The films were sprayed in a new spraying setup that was developed to mimic the film coating process in a fluid bed and to provide well controlled conditions. EC and HPC phase separated during the film drying process, and EC- and HPC-rich domains were formed. The process parameters had a great impact on the structure and the permeability to water of the films. The longer the time before the film structure was locked by a high film viscosity, that is, the lower the temperature and the higher the coating flow, the larger the domains and the lower the film permeability. The effective diffusion coefficient of water in the films varied by about six times within the range of the process parameters studied. Structures of sprayed films and water effective diffusion coefficients in sprayed films were compared to those of cast films. For the cast films, the domains were bigger, and the permeability to water was significantly lower compared to those of the sprayed films. The results indicate that the process parameters can be used as a mean to regulate structure and permeability of coating films undergoing phase separation.