Passivation, pH protective or lubricity coating for pharmaceutical package, coating process and apparatus
View Patent ↗A method for providing a passivation layer or pH protective coating on a substrate surface by PECVD is provided, the method comprising generating a plasma from a gaseous reactant comprising polymerizing gases. The lubricity, passivation, pH protective, hydrophobicity, and/or barrier properties of the passivation layer or pH protective coating are set by setting the ratio of the O 2 to the organosilicon precursor in the precursor feed, and/or by setting the electric power used for generating the plasma. In particular, a passivation layer or pH protective coating made by the method is provided. Pharmaceutical packages coated by the method and the use of such packages protecting a composition contained in the vessel against mechanical and/or chemical effects of the surface of the package without a passivation layer or pH protective coating material are also provided.
1. A filled package comprising: a vessel having a lumen defined at least in part by a wall, the wall having an interior surface facing the lumen and an outer surface; a barrier coating or layer of SiO x , wherein x is from 1.5 to 2.9, from 2 to 1000 nm thick, the barrier coating or layer of SiO x having an interior surface facing the lumen and an outer surface facing the wall interior surface, the barrier coating or layer being effective to reduce the ingress of atmospheric gas into the lumen compared to an vessel without a barrier coating or layer; a passivation layer or pH protective coating of SiO x C y or SiN x C y wherein x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4 and y is from about 0.6 to about 3, the passivation layer or pH protective coating having an interior surface facing the lumen and an outer surface facing the interior surface of the barrier coating or layer, the passivation layer or pH protective coating being effective to increase the calculated shelf life of the package (total Si/Si dissolution rate); and a fluid composition contained in the lumen and having a pH between 4 and 10; wherein the calculated shelf life of the package is more than six months at a storage temperature of 4° C.; and wherein an FTIR absorbance spectrum of the passivation layer or pH protective coating has a ratio greater than 0.75 and at most 1.7, between the maximum amplitude of the Si—O—Si symmetrical stretch peak between about 1000 and 1040 cm −1 , and the maximum amplitude of the Si—O—Si asymmetric stretch peak between about 1060 and about 1100 cm −1 .
2. The filled package of claim 1 , in which at least a portion of the wall of the vessel comprises or consists essentially of a polyolefin, a cyclic olefin polymer, a cyclic olefin copolymer, a polyester, a polycarbonate, polylactic acid, glass, or a combination or copolymer of these.
3. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the vessel comprises a syringe barrel, a cartridge, a vial, or a blister package.
4. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the barrier coating or layer is from 10 nm to 300 nm thick.
5. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the passivation layer or pH protective coating is applied by PECVD of a precursor feed comprising a linear siloxane, a linear silazane, a monocyclic siloxane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polysilsesquioxane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic silazane, a polysilsesquiazane, a silatrane, a silquasilatrane, a silproatrane, an azasilatrane, an azasilquasiatrane, an azasilproatrane, or a combination of any two or more of these precursors.
6. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the passivation layer or pH protective coating as applied is between 100 and 700 nm thick.
7. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the rate of erosion of the passivation layer or pH protective coating, if directly contacted by a fluid composition having a pH of 8, is from 5% to 20%, of the rate of erosion of the barrier coating or layer, if directly contacted by the same fluid composition under the same conditions.
8. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the passivation layer or pH protective coating is at least coextensive with the barrier coating or layer.
9. The filled package of claim 1 , having a minimum shelf life, after the invention is assembled, of at least two years, wherein the shelf life is determined at 4° C.
10. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the fluid composition removes the passivation layer or pH protective coating at a rate of 1 nm or less of passivation layer or pH protective coating thickness per 44 hours of contact.
11. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the silicon dissolution rate by a 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer diluted in water for injection, adjusted to pH 8 with concentrated nitric acid, and containing 0.2 wt. % polysorbate-80 surfactant from the vessel is less than 170 ppb/day.
12. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the total silicon content of the passivation layer or pH protective coating and barrier coating or layer, upon dissolution into 0.1 N potassium hydroxide aqueous solution at 40° C. from the vessel, is less than 66 ppm.
13. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the calculated shelf life (total Si/Si dissolution rate) is more than 2 years and less than 5 years.
14. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the passivation layer or pH protective coating is applied by PECVD at a power level of from 1 to 250 W.
15. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the ratio of the electrode power to the plasma volume is from 6 W/ml to 60 W/ml.
16. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the calculated shelf life (total Si/Si dissolution rate) is less than 5 years.
17. The filled package of claim 5 , in which the precursor feed further comprises an oxidizing gas.
18. The filled package of claim 17 , in which the precursor feed further comprises a noble gas.
19. The filled package of claim 18 , in which the precursor feed comprises: from 0.5 to 10 standard volumes of an organosilicon precursor; from 0.1 to 10 standard volumes of an oxidizing gas; and from 1 to 100 sccm of a carrier gas.
20. The filled package of claim 1 , in which the passivation layer or pH protective coating is effective to provide a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated interior surface.
21. The filled package of claim 20 wherein the frictional resistance is reduced by at least 45%, in comparison to the uncoated interior surface.
22. The filled package of claim 20 , in which the passivation layer or pH protective coating is effective to reduce the frictional resistance between a portion of the wall contacted by the fluid composition and a relatively sliding part after the invention is assembled, wherein the filled package is a syringe comprising a syringe barrel and the relatively sliding part, wherein the wall defines at least a portion of the syringe barrel and the relatively sliding part comprises a plunger tip, piston, stopper, or seal.