Characterisation of microstructural changes during the hydration of pharmaceutical tablets using terahertz pulsed imaging

Terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) is used to characterise microstructural changes during the hydration of pharmaceutical tablets. In particular, terahertz reflection measurements provide quantitative information about the liquid penetration, swelling and the formation of cracks. X-ray computed microtomography (XμCT) is employed to characterise the microstructure of the dry powder compact in terms of porosity, equivalent volume diameter and length of the pores. Both XμCT and TPI can provide valuable information about the impact of the microstructure on the performance of drugs.