Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/G016224/1
Title:	Novel Analysis Techniques for Particulate ProductsG
Principal Investigator:	Leaper, Dr M
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Unilever
Department:	School of Pharmacy
Organisation:	De Montfort University
Scheme:	First Grant Scheme
Starts:	01 April 2009	Ends:	31 May 2011	Value (£):	227,955
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Particle Technology
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Chemicals
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 11 Sep 2008 Engineering Science (Flow) Panel Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Many materials in common use come in particulate form, including food, pharmaceuticals, coatings, pigments and fertilizers. A frequent quality control problem with such materials is their tendency to form unwanted, lumpy agglomerates from a phenomenon known as CAKING. Over the years this has been combated by using chemicals, known as anti-caking agents. However, new materials on the market are now being produced to higher customer specifications that regard such additional ingredients as contamination. This issue, combined with the storage and transportation at more extreme conditions and the trend towards powders being more concentrated, means that a more systematic study into combatting caking is required. Previous studies looked at caking on a bulk scale, but this study will examine what happens on the particle scale by using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). AFM can map out surfaces on the nanoscale and can also be used to measure the mechanical hardness of particles. The strength of bonds between caked particles can also be measured using AFM and this value can be used to estimate the strength of lumps formed during the caking process. By gaining a greater understanding of the mechanisms of caking, companies will be able to to produce better powdered products that should be more resistant to caking, as well as formulations that would normally be incompatible with anti-caking agents.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Organisation Website:	http://www.dmu.ac.uk