A structure parameter that can be used to predict the pattern of arrangement of porous inclusions in pharmaceutical tablets is introduced. By utilizing the effective refractive index of a pharmaceutical tablet obtained from terahertz time-domain measurements, we have shown that there exists a promising correlation between the calculated structural parameter and the porosity of training sets of pharmaceutical tablets, having well-defined characterization. Knowing of the structural arrangement, i.e. combined constituent skeletal-pore elements in series, parallel or mixed within porous media, could serve as a basis for understanding the ingress and permeation of liquids in such media. In the realm of pharmaceutical applications, such knowledge of the structural arrangement of air voids within a medicinal tablet could enable correlation with mechanical strength and dissolution behaviour in aqueous systems.
Keywords: Effective medium; Indomethacin; Microcrystalline cellulose; Microstructures; Pharmaceutical tablet; Terahertz.
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