The University of Western Ontario

Other

Powder Pharma Coating Inc.

Hui Zhang

Jingxu Zhu

Jesse Zhu

Ying Liang Ma

Jianzhang Wen

Yanfeng Luo

Yingliang Ma

Hiran Perinpanayagam

Mohammad S Mozumder

Wen Shi

Jiangxu Zhu

Biocompatible polymeric coating compositions having nanoscale surface roughness and methods of forming such coatings are described. A polymeric biocompatible coating may be produced using a powder coating method, where one or more thermosetting polymer resins and one or more biocompatible materials are mixed and extruded, ground into microscale particles, and mixed with nanoparticles to form a dry powder mixture that may be coated onto a substrate according to a powder coating method. Alternatively, the thermosetting polymeric resin can be first extruded and ground into microscale particles, and then mixed with the biocompatible materials in particular form of nanoscale to microscale in size, and then further mixed with nanoparticles to form a dry powder mixture for coating. Bioactive materials may also be selectively added into the polymeric coating in a similar way as the biocompatible materials, either before or after the extrusion, to form a bioactive polymeric coating.

Biocompatible polymer nanoparticle coating composition and method of production thereof

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for dry coating solid dosage forms. The method includes the steps of placing solid dosage forms in a rotatable, electrically grounded housing, and spraying a film forming polymer powder composition into the housing during rotation thereof to form a polymer coating on the solid dosage forms, the polymer powder composition being sprayed using an electrostatic spray gun, and curing the coated solid dosage forms.

Direct coating solid dosage forms using powdered materials

Blending methods for adding and uniformly mixing a small fraction of relatively small particles (additives) to a bulk particulate powder of larger size than the additives. In particular, the present invention provides blending methods for adding and uniformly mixing a small percentage of flow/fluidization additives into fine powders, especially fine paint powders. The fine powder and additives are first pre-mixed for macro-scale homogeneity and then further mixed at a micro-scale (such as with a screen mixing process) for micro-scale homogeneity. With these methods, optimum dispersions and maximum functionalities of additives can be obtained and the disadvantages caused by severe agglomerates of additives can be avoided.

Apparatus for uniformly dispersing additive particles in fine powders

A new dry powder inhaler is developed as a pulmonary medicine delivery device for dispersing precise tiny dosages (10 &#x3bc;g-50 mg) of pure carrier-free ultra-fine powdered medicament (&#x3c;5 &#x3bc;m aerodynamics particle size) into a patient's lung. The powder is drawn from the blister cell and dispersed through an outlet tube assisted by two air streams. The first air stream goes through a the blister cell from its upstream side, to significantly fluidize the medicament in the dose to flow upward. The second one extracts the fluidized powder from downstream of the blister cell for further deagglomeration and dispersion of the medicament powder by shear force. The rotating multi-dose blister can hold up to 60 doses, which are pre-metered with pure ultra-fine powdered medicament. So that it has higher drug loading capability in small volumes, compared to most current dry powder inhalers, which usually use some excipient. The inhaler efficiently disperse the aerosolized medicament in the air stream to the deep interior of patient's lung. The fine particle fraction (&#x3c;4.7 &#x3bc;m) is reported to reach as high as 80% using this inhaler.

Dry powder inhaler

Method and apparatus for uniformly dispersing additive particles in fine powders

A corona charge spray gun for dispensing powders for powder coatings. The spray gun includes a housing defining a chamber terminating in an outlet passageway. A high voltage electrode is mounted in the chamber spaced upstream of the outlet passageway and a ground electrode is mounted in the chamber spaced upstream from the high voltage electrode. The ground electrode is selected to have a surface area sufficiently larger than the surface area of the high voltage electrode in order to allow high voltages to be applied to the high voltage electrode without arch discharging occurring in the chamber. An inlet opens into the chamber for conducting a powder-gas mixture into the chamber and the electrodes receive cleaning gases for avoiding powder deposits on the electrodes.

Method and apparatus for dispensing paint powders for powder coatings

The present invention provides powder fluidization additives for increasing flowability of fine powders. The powder fluidization additives have both a smaller size than the fine powder and a mean apparent particle density less than the mean apparent particle density of the fine powder. The particles of the additive act to separate the fine powder particles and reduce interparticle forces allowing the flowability of the fine powder to be increased.

Fluidization additives to fine powders

The present invention provides a fluidized bed for dispensing small quantities of powders. The fluidized bed is made using a porous housing to permit injection and removal of fluid through the surrounding walls to improve the operation of the bed particularly for small particles of the group C size, including significantly reducing powder adhesion to the walls. In one aspect of the invention the fluidized bed housing is rotated about its longitudinal axis, which may be oriented at any suitable angle. A system for changing the volume of the bed is described as is a system for incorporating injection nozzles within the bed for constant agitation and prevention of powder adhering to the walls of the housing.

Growing community of inventors

London, Canada

Hui Zhang