Micro mechanical properties of organic crystals

Micro mechanical properties of organic materials, such as materials used in medicines, underpin processing and the final product performance. For instance during filtration or powder compaction during tabletting crystals are subjected to significant forces and breakage occurs which can lead to significant processing issues and changes in drug performance. The development of theoretical frameworks for these impacts are hindered by a lack of fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties at the scale of a single crystal.

You will develop AFM based techniques for assessing single crystal mechanical properties such as Young’s modulus/elasticity, deformation and crystal strength. This will involve working on the design of equipment to present crystals to the AFM, statistical analysis of the results, and modelling to demonstrate the effect of mechanical properties on processing.

Through model compounds and industrial material cases studies you will correlate the effect of processing to the mechanical properties measured (e.g on compaction). It is envisaged that a 3-6 month will be spend working within industry on their materials. This project is of high interest to the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industrial sectors.