The influence of particle size on the surface roughness of pharmaceutical excipient compacts

The tensile strength (TS), an important mechanical property of the compacts, decreased with increasing particle size for both material types, and showed strong correlations with surface roughness. Smoother compacts exhibited higher values of TS, possibly due to the more intricate bonding between smaller particles. Hence, surface roughness parameters can be used as a non-destructive method for predicting the mechanical properties of materials. Profilometry was found to be a useful tool for understanding the relationship between initial particle size and the surface roughness of compacts from either brittle or ductile materials.