From Blobs to Rods: Navigating Liquid/Liquid Phase Separation

  • Crystallization
  • 24 September 2026

About the webinar

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), commonly referred to as “oiling,” poses a significant challenge in crystallisation development due to its strong influence on nucleation pathways, crystal growth environments, and final product quality. The formation of oil droplets during cooling or antisolvent addition can lead to undesirable outcomes including altered impurity profiles, agglomeration, morphology changes, and reduced isolated yield through increased deposition.

To better understand and mitigate these risks, Pharmaron employs the Technobis Crystalline instrument which allows in-situ observation and monitoring of LLPS. High‑throughput experiments are used to construct LLPS plots, identifying the concentration–temperature regions where oiling occurs. These diagrams guide process optimisation by enabling selection of operating conditions, API loadings, and solvent systems that avoid oiling.

This webinar will begin with an overview of the fundamental theory behind liquid–liquid phase separation, including the different types of LLPS. It will then introduce the construction and interpretation of LLPS phase diagrams, highlighting how these tools can be used to understand system behaviour. Finally, the session will demonstrate how to apply this knowledge to navigate crystallisation pathways effectively, enabling the avoidance of oiling regions.

Attendees will learn:

  • Understand the fundamentals of liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and oiling in crystallisation.
  • Discover how in-situ monitoring with Crystalline enables the identification of oiling regions.
  • Apply LLPS knowledge to design crystallisation processes that minimize oiling and improve product quality.

Register for this free webinar on Thursday 24 september and join us for an interesting session.

Date: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Time: 4.00 pm CEST  |  3.00 pm GMT  |  10.00 am EDT  |  7.00 am PDT  |  7.30 pm IST

Register here

Guest speaker

Dr. Alice McNelly

Scientist at Pharmaron Hoddesdon

Alice is a Scientist at Pharmaron Hoddesdon where she is part of the Material Science Team, specialising in Crystallisation Development.  Alice's work involves developing detailed understanding for robust crystallisation design and particle engineering of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to improve particle properties to aid filtration, flowability and other critical quality attributes.

Before joining Pharmaron, Alice gained her MChem in Chemistry from the University of Oxford in 2024, where she spend the final year of her degree completing her master’s project specialising in single crystal X-ray diffraction.