Improving Powder Performances of d-Ribose through Spherulitic Growth

With the rise of research on functional sugar, we found that preparing crystalline powders into spherical crystals will significantly improve quality, stability, appearance, and texture. In this work, d-ribose (D-RIB) spherical crystal aggregates were prepared for the first time. And D-RIB spherical crystal aggregates with superior filterability, flowability, and tap density can be prepared in ethanol, 1-propanol, and isopropanol. Specifically, we used ethanol as an example to reveal the formation mechanism of D-RIB spherical crystal aggregates: solvent-induced crystal defects, which in turn trigger noncrystallographic branching and further spherulite growth. Finally, a comparison of the properties of the D-RIB spherical crystal aggregates with those of commercially available products is given, demonstrating the fabrication of D-RIB spherulites with better tap density and flowability by solvent-induced noncrystallographic branching. This will provide a new insight into the preparation of high-quality D-RIB crystals.