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Custom Bio Micro Cuvettes

By July 9, 2013February 3rd, 2022No Comments

The high quality and biocompatibility of the FluoroVette has inspired medical, diagnostic, and POC product developers to adapt its elegant and functional form to their custom disposable. Typically customers purchase the FluoroVette and learn that it is very easy to use, provides reproducible data, and allows initial assay development to proceed using instrumentation, such as a spectrometer or fluorimeter to which data can be benchmarked with a calibrated instrument. Further, the flat form factor of the FluoroVetteallows it to interface nicely with a microscope to examine details, such as bead loading.Examples of modifications are shown below, in which a custom cuvette has a porous membrane across the viewing window to retain fluorescently tagged beads for displacement assays involving applications in industrial waste monitoring or bio/chemical threat detection.

The modifications have allowed the custom cuvette to have flow rates up to 10 mL/min. and the unique window shape prevents trapped air bubbles, just like the standard product.

In addition to incorporating membranes in the viewing window, the custom cuvette has been modified with a shorter pathlength, smaller window, with a membrane located downstream of the optical window. In this configuration, the retained particles fill the viewing window. This is enhanced by having a very low dead volume downstream of the viewing window before the porous membrane.

Custom cuvettes with porous membranes: work in a standard spectrometer, fluorometers, and microscopes. Custom options include hose barb fittings, choice of membrane, electrodes, fluorescent oxygen sensing film. The film on the front and back as well as the body of the FluoroVette can be modified as well.

Click here for a printable order form

Custom Bio Micro Cuvette Selection Table

Below you will find a custom selector guide with our most popular materials for Bio Micro Cuvettes. The selector guide will walk you through the construction of a cuvette that’s right for your application. The finished cuvette may be use with ALine’s universal adapter, the universal adapter fits most standard 1cm x 1cm cuvette holders.Applications: Absorbance , Transmission, Fluorescence, microvolume sampling, bead retention, cell culture and analysis.

Typical Instruments: Spectrophotometers, Fluorometers, Microscopes

“Build your own cuvette”

Choice of Window Material:
A cyclic olefin film,
50 micron
Advantages: Low fluorescence background, low birefringence, biocompatible,
transparent to 220 to 1200 nm, flow rates 1 uL/min to 200 µL/min.
B cast acrylic,
0.5 mm
Advantages: Low fluorescence background, transparent to 350 nm, biocompatible,
excellent optical clarity, better choice for high flow rates (>200 µL/min.)
C polystyrene,
50 micron
Advantages: best choice for adherent cell culture where high magnification is not required.
D cyclic olefin,
1 mm
Advantages: same thickness as a glass slide, very biocompatible, optical quality material that is UV to IR transparent.
Choice of Adhesive:
E acrylic adhesive,
25 micron
Advantages: good biocompatibility, resistant to alcohols, base and acid. Bonds well to glass
F silicone adhesive,
50 micron
Advantages: solvent resistant to organics such as toluene, and hexane. Excellent biocompatibility, bonds well to glass.

Choice of Body MATERIALs & Thickness:

Fluorescence Applications: Absorbance Applications:
G black acrylic; 1.5 mm; volume 100 µL J clear acrylic: 2.0 mm: volume approx. 125 µL
H black delrin: 0.75 mm; volume 50 µL K clear acrylic: 1.5 mm: volume approx. 100 µL
I Black polycarbonate: .25 mm: vol. approx. 15 µL L clear acrylic: 1.0 mm: volume approx. 75 µL
* at 0.5 mm and below, the cuvette is supported on a thicker layer of 0.75 mm acrylic.
listed measurements are pathlength(mm) & volume(µL)
M clear acrylic: 0.75 mm: volume approx. 50 µL
N* clear acrylic: 0.5mm: volume approx. 25 µL
O* clear PET: 0.250 mm: volume approx. 12 µL
P* clear PET: 0.100 mm: volume approx. 7 µL
Q* clear PET: 0.050 mm: volume approx. 3 µL
Choice of Port and Location**:
R Pipettor interface for convenient filling with standard 20 to 200 µL pipettor, can fill and aspirate for multiple uses.
S Hose barb for 1mm to 1/16″ ID tubing such as tygon, silicone, or pharmed, for continuous flow experiments
T Custom tubing interface 1/16″ tube stubs in PEEK with IDs ranging from 0.005″ to 0.030″
U Tubing connection on 12″ of 1/16 OD, 0.030″ ID FEP tubing, with a ¼- 20 threaded port connection from DIBA
** Port can be located either on the opposite sides or same side of the cuvette. Select port side when filling out the order form
Choice of Membrane and Location:
Membranes, if required, may be placed in the light path or located downstream or upstream of the window.
Examples are shown on the Custom FluoroVette page.
V For membranes in the light path
W For membranes outside of the light path
Choice of membrane material
X1 0.2 µm nylon
X2 0.45 µm nylon
Choice of mesh for bead retention:
Y1 3 micron polyester mesh
Y2 10 micron polyester mesh

Ordering

Click here for a printable order form

Please use ALine’s order form to place an order or contact one of our support reps.
Phone:310-707-8575
E-mail: info@alineinc.com

Lead time for custom orders: approx. 3 weeks, call for expedite orders
Discounts available for larger orders

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