Fireflies of the rainforest: Illuminating the mysterious world of crystal polymorphism

Kafle, Prapti

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/99833 Copy

Description

Title

Fireflies of the rainforest: Illuminating the mysterious world of crystal polymorphism

Author(s)

Kafle, Prapti

Issue Date

2018-04

Keyword(s)

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Abstract

Polymorphism or the ability of molecules to pack in multiple crystal structures, is one of the most important parameters in pharmaceutical industries as it highly influences the physicochemical properties of drugs such as solubility. In my research, I study polymorphism of poorly soluble drugs to develop novel formulation methods for enhancing their solubility. Presented is a cross-polarized microscopy image of a nanothinfilm of an anti-inflammatory drug-aspirin, produced by solution printing the drug solution on an edible polymer called pullulan. Printed at highly non-equilibrium conditions, the spheruliticmorphology of the thin film evokes glowing fireflies in the rainforest at night. Interestingly enough, studying the phenomenon of crystal self-assembly, to me, is much like exploring a rainforest at night filled with astonishing mysteries. Just like a nocturnal creature of the rainforest that would follow the specks of light emitted by fireflies to get a clue of its vicinity, I too chase the hints given by my experiments to unravel the puzzles of crystal polymorphism.

Type of Resource

• text
• image

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/99833

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Copyright 2018 Prapti Kafle

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