Crystal Clear Quartz capillaries that are extremely thin-walled (approximately 10 microns wall thickness). The length of the capillary has a well-defined diameter, with one end having a funnel shape and the other end closed.
Quartz capillaries have a wall thickness of 0.01 mm and an overall length of 80 mm +/-5 mm. Quartz capillaries are available in a wide range of outside diameters from 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm. They are designed to mount, hold, and store small molecules and biological macromolecular crystals for X-ray data collection. Capillaries can also be used for crystal density measurements and crystal growth experiments. The capillaries can be sealed tightly against moisture and gases using wax, epoxy, or other sealing materials.
In determining what glass or quartz capillary is right for you, please refer to the “Linear Absorption Coefficient µ cm-1” table. This table indicates the amount of radiation that is absorbed by the capillary during x-ray data collection. For 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm capillaries, the open-end capillary tube base size is 3.0 +/- 0.2 mm OD x 0.2 +/- 0.15 mm Wall thickness. For 3.0 and 3.5 mm capillaries the open-end capillary base size is about 4.4 mm OD x 0.25 mm Wall thickness. For 4.0 and 5.0 mm capillaries, the open-end capillary-based size is about 6.0 x 0.25 mm.
In this paper, we report the thermal behavior of a new approach to vitrification. The thermal performance of traditional open-pulled straws is compared with a new technique based on the combined use of quartz capillaries with slush nitrogen. This new method of vitrification achieved ultrafast cooling rates of 250,000 degrees C/min. As a result, a much lower concentration of cryoprotectant was needed to reach vitrification. In fact, a cryoprotectant solution typically used in oocyte slow-freezing protocols were shown to remain transparent after cooling to liquid nitrogen temperatures indicating apparent "vitrification". This approach offers a new and very promising technique for vitrification of cells using low levels of cryoprotectants.
