Polymer-magnesium aluminum silicate composite dispersions for improved physical stability of acetaminophen suspensions.

The aims of this study were to characterize the morphology and size of flocculates and the zeta potential and rheological properties of polymer-magnesium aluminum silicate (MAS) composite dispersions and to investigate the physical properties of acetaminophen (ACT) suspensions prepared using the composite dispersions as a flocculating/suspending agent. The polymers used were sodium alginate (SA), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC), and methylcellulose (MC). The results showed that SA, SCMC, and MC could induce flocculation of MAS by a polymer-bridging mechanism, leading to the changes in the zeta potential of MAS and the flow properties of the polymer dispersions. The microscopic morphology and size of the flocculates was dependent on the molecular structure of the polymer, especially ether groups on the polymer side chain. The residual MAS from the flocculation could create a three-dimensional structure in the SA-MAS and SCMC-MAS dispersions, which brought about not only an enhancement of viscosity and thixotropic properties but also an improvement in the ACT flocculating efficiency of polymers. The use of polymer-MAS dispersions provided a higher degree of flocculation and a lower redispersibility value of ACT suspensions compared with the pure polymer dispersions. This led to a low tendency for caking of the suspensions. The SCMC-MAS dispersions provided the highest ACT flocculating efficiency, whereas the lowest ACT flocculating efficiency was found in the MC-MAS dispersions. Moreover, the added MAS did not affect ACT dissolution from the suspensions in an acidic medium. These findings suggest that the polymer-MAS dispersions show good potential for use as a flocculating/suspending agent for improving the rheological properties and physical stability of the suspensions.