L-Menthol crystal micronized by rapid expansion of supercritical carbon dioxide

Nara Suankaew; Yukihiko Matsumura; Isara Saramala; Uracha R. Ruktanonchai; Apinan Soottitantawat; Tawatchai Charinpanitkul

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol.18, No.3, 904-908, May, 2012

DOI10.1016/j.jiec.2011.08.007 Export Citation

L-Menthol crystal micronized by rapid expansion of supercritical carbon dioxide

Nara Suankaew¹, Yukihiko Matsumura², Isara Saramala³, Uracha R. Ruktanonchai³, Apinan Soottitantawat¹, and Tawatchai Charinpanitkul^{1, 4, †}

¹Center of Excellence in Particle Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand
²Department of Mechanical System Engineering, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
³National Nanotechnology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park, Pathumtani, Thailand
⁴Energy Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Payathai, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand

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Rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS) is a promising alternative for micronizing various materials including L-menthol of which dissolution would be mainly controlled by its particle size and morphology. The aim of this work is to study the effect of ethanol co-solvent, pre-expansion temperature and pre-expansion pressure on the size and morphology of L-menthol crystals micronized by rapid expansion of supercritical CO2 in prior to their microencapsulation. Calculation of L-menthol dissolution in supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) was conducted, suggesting that the appropriate pre-expansion temperature would be below 50 ℃. Verification based on FT-IR analysis suggested that the fine particles of L-menthol crystals with controlled size and morphology could be prepared by rapid expansion of supercritical CO2 without any structural change.

Keywords:Micronization;L-Menthol;Rapid expansion;Supercritical carbon dioxide

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