The NanoTest Vantage: next generation nanomechanical testing and materials development for the Pharmaceutical sector.

Pharmaceutical Applications

With its advanced scheduling capability enabling fully-automatic testing over an extended period, the NanoTest is ideally suited to research and quality assurance in a highly competitive industry where both high data throughput and reliability of results are essential.

Relating brittleness index from nanoindentation to size reduction ratio in hammer milling

Researchers from Pfizer have used their NanoTest to show that a brittleness index (H/Kc) determined from measurements on single crystals can be used in the effective prediction of the milling of pharmaceutical materials. The first step was to determine the fracture toughness. The wide load range possible in the NanoTest allows production of fully developed radial/median crack systems with a wide range of indenter geometries (e.g. cube corner, Berkovich, Vickers). The fracture toughness, together with the hardness derived from the nanoindentation, is used to determine the brittleness index.

Excellent correlation between the NanoTest nanoindentation data on single crystals and large pilot scale results have now been obtained for a wide range of materials providing significant cost savings for Pfizer.

Use the NanoTest Vantage to investigate:

• Nanoindentation of single crystals of pharmaceuticals actives
• Fracture toughness and brittleness index
• Mapping uneven compaction
• Powder adhesion
• Tablet testing - hardness, modulus, fracture properties
• Strain rate sensitivity
• Temperature dependence of mechanical properties
• Fatigue and high strain rate testing

Support Literature

Pharmaceuticals

Our support literature for the Pharmaceuticals sector will provide a great introduction to the NanoTest Vantage, learn how you could be taking advantage.

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