Products
Drying System
Area of application
Water-containing structures or moist samples (usually biological) can be altered or destroyed during drying in air or in a vacuum.
Critical point drying with the safematic CDS-020 is an efficient method to preserve these structures. The tangential forces of interfacial tension that occur during drying between water and air are avoided by transferring the liquid phase of CO2 into the gas phase without a phase transition. For this purpose, water is replaced by the solvent ethanol that is miscible with liquid CO2, as this can then be exchanged for CO2 again.
The steps required to prepare any hydrated biological samples for SEM/TEM include fixation, dehydration, critical point drying, mounting, and coating with metal to improve electron conductivity of sample surface.
The safematic Compact Drying System CDS-020 covers the steps of dehydration and critical point drying. The automated process produces repeatable high quality results.
Dehydration
The high water content of chemically fixed samples requires appropriate dehydration of biological samples. Under high vacuum conditions (e.g. in a scanning electron microscope), residual water would evaporate and damage the biological structures.
Similarly, drying the samples directly from water leads to severe structural destruction due to surface tension effects. An exchange of the water for liquids with lower surface tension and subsequent drying by evaporation of the substitution fluid will improve morphological structure.
Critical point drying
Critical point drying is a preparation technique used to prepare soft tissue samples for imaging under vacuum conditions (e.g. in a scanning electron microscope) without the artefacts caused by evaporative drying.
During evaporation, the liquid in the sample crosses a phase boundary, which can lead to. By increasing the temperature and pressure in the processing chamber, the critical point of the liquid can be reached when sublimation to a gaseous phase occurs. After the critical point is passed, the pressure can be lowered so that the dried sample can be removed.
Highlights and Features
- fully automated hands off process without necessity of monitoring
- start a process in the evening get your dried specimen in the morning
- greater process reliability and traceability due recipes and process tracking
- dehydration and critical point drying in ONE piece of equipment
- less space required in the laboratory
- samples up to the size of 30mm
- less sample handling
- no use of refrigerants
Specimen holders that come with the CDS
Coverslips Ø 12mm
Coverslips Ø 18mm
Coverslips square 22mm
Strainer holder
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 55 x 37 x 43cm |
| Weight | 42kg |
| Electrical connection | 100 to 240VAC, 50 / 60Hz, max. 500W |
| Noise level | maximum 55dB(A) |
| Chamber dimensions | Ø 60 x 44mm |
| Cup (vessel for sample holders) | Ø 50 x 34mm |
| Chamber volume | 160ml |
| Operating pressure | max. 80bar |
| Bursting pressure | 125bar @ 20°C (Bursting membrane) |
| Operating temperature environment | +17 to +27°C |
| Temperature range dehydration | +1 to +24°C |
| Storage temperature | +5 to +40°C |
| Exchange fluid | Ethanol (only), Distilled water |
| Exchange fluid consumption | < 1L per run and fluid type (depending on recipe) |
| Transitional fluid | Carbon dioxide (CO2) |
| Gas inlet | 3/8 inch external thread |
| Gas cylinder type | With or without feed pipe |
| Gas cylinder size | ≥ 10L |
| CO2 purity | ≥ 99.9% |
| CO2 consumption | < 0.3kg per run |
| Min. pressure CO2 (Inlet) | 52 bar |
| Waste out | Ø 8mm |
| Waste bin | Container 5L (monitored) |
| Art. | Description | Unit | Price | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDS-020 | CDS-020 Compact Drying System |
Each | p.o.r. |
