Preparation of Tripalmitin Micronization by Supercritical Fluids Technique

Generation of tripalmitin microparticles from its melts was investigated by using both supercritical CO2 and supercritical N2.The effects of various operating conditions,such as the pre-expansion pressure,pre-expansion temperature,and nozzle size on the particle morphology,particle size and particle size distribution(PSD) were investigated.Results showed that microspheres were obtained from the N2-assisted process,the particle size decreased and PSD narrowed with the increasing of the pre-expansion pressure,nozzle size showed no obvious effect on the microparticles,and pre-expansion temperature should be less than 72 ℃ to obtain solid particles.From the CO2-assited process,spherical,lamellate and needle-like particles were obtained,the particle size decreased,PSD narrowed with the increasing of the pre-expansion pressure,nozzle size showed no obvious effect on the particles and the pre-expansion temperature slightly increased the average size of particles.Particles' PSD from supercritical CO2 was close to that from supercritical N2.