Morphological effect of microcrystalline cellulose particles on tablet tensile strength.

An attempt was made (1) to fractionate microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) particles of Avicel PH-101 (PH grade) and Ceolus KG-801 (KG grade) into four sieve fractions by using an air-jet sieve and (2) to disclose effects of morphology of the particle on tablet tensile strength, T. The morphology of MCC particles is one of the most important factors affecting T. T increased with an increase in the ratio of L/D for particles (L, length; D, width). KG grade consists of a larger number of rod-shaped particles than PH grade, giving significantly higher compressibility than PH grade.