Device and method for sample encapsulation and thickness control based on photocurable flexible encapsulation strip

Abstract

This invention discloses a sample encapsulation and thickness control device and method based on a photocurable flexible encapsulation strip, belonging to the field of optical microscopy. The device includes: a base, a displacement adjustment mechanism, and an upper adjustment plate; the base is used to fix a glass slide, the displacement adjustment mechanism is disposed on both sides of the base and used to support and adjust the position of the upper adjustment plate, the upper adjustment plate fixes a cover glass slide through a connecting device, and a space for placing the sample to be encapsulated is formed between the glass slide and the cover glass slide; the displacement adjustment mechanism adjusts the distance between the glass slide and the cover glass slide to obtain the target sample thickness; a flexible encapsulation strip is disposed around the sample to be encapsulated, which deforms during the thickness adjustment process to buffer mechanical stress and adapt to the adjusted thickness, and cures under light irradiation, thereby achieving stable encapsulation between the glass slide and the cover glass slide at the target thickness. This invention achieves precise control of sample thickness and long-term stability of the encapsulation structure through the coordinated design of thickness control and the encapsulation process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical microscopy imaging, and in particular to a sample encapsulation and thickness control device and method based on photocurable flexible encapsulation strips. Background Technology

[0002] Stimulated Raman scattering microscopy can be used for microscopic imaging of various biological samples. It can not only achieve tissue morphology observation, but also perform label-free detection of the content and spatial distribution of specific molecules within tissues. It has important application value in cell detection, tumor diagnosis and materials science.

[0003] In transmission-induced Raman scattering (TIS) microscopy, biological samples are typically placed between the microscope objective and the condenser lens. To achieve high spatial resolution, high-magnification microscope objectives are usually employed, often water-immersion or oil-immersion objectives. For these reasons, when imaging biological samples, a coverslip is typically placed over the sample surface to prevent direct contact between the sample and the objective, thus preventing objective contamination and ensuring the stability and reliability of the imaging system.

[0004] In stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, fine adjustment of the relative positions of the microscope objective and condenser is typically required to improve image clarity and signal intensity. This adjustment process can easily compress the biological sample located between them, affecting the integrity of the sample structure and the accuracy of the measurement results. Furthermore, the horizontal movement of the biological sample during imaging to obtain images of the region of interest can lead to relative misalignment or non-parallelism between the slide and coverslip, causing sample tilt and affecting imaging stability and repeatability.

[0005] In existing technologies, spacers are typically used to control the gap between the coverslip and the slide to achieve sample encapsulation. However, this method is difficult to maintain the relative position between the slide and the coverslip and the stability of the encapsulation during imaging and sample movement, and it cannot effectively buffer the mechanical squeezing effect on the sample during adjustment.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a sample packaging technology suitable for microscopic imaging systems that can effectively prevent contamination of microscope objectives during imaging and short-term preservation, avoid compression of biological samples, and stably maintain the relative position and parallelism between the slide and coverslip during imaging, thereby improving the stability of the packaging structure and the reliability of the imaging process. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problems in existing microscopic imaging processes, such as the ease with which samples are squeezed during encapsulation and imaging adjustment, the difficulty in precisely controlling and maintaining the encapsulation thickness, and the instability of the parallelism and relative position between the slide and coverslip, the present invention aims to provide a sample encapsulation and thickness control device and method based on a photocurable flexible encapsulation strip. This device achieves precise control of the encapsulation thickness through a photocurable flexible encapsulation strip and a thickness control device, and performs photocuring at the target thickness to lock the encapsulation. This ensures that the spacing, parallelism, and relative position between the slide and coverslip are stably maintained during imaging, preventing changes in sample morphology and guaranteeing imaging quality and experimental repeatability.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: The present invention provides a sample packaging and thickness control device based on a photocurable flexible packaging strip, comprising: a base, a displacement adjustment mechanism and an upper adjustment plate;

[0009] The base is provided with a first limiting device for fixing the glass slide; the displacement adjustment mechanism is fixed on both sides of the base, and the two ends of the upper adjustment plate are fixed by the second limiting devices of the two side displacement adjustment mechanisms. The lower end of the upper adjustment plate is provided with a third limiting device for fixing the cover glass slide; a sample to be packaged is placed between the glass slide and the cover glass slide, and a flexible packaging strip is provided around the sample; the displacement adjustment mechanism adjusts the glass slide and the cover glass slide to a preset distance when the flexible packaging strip is not cured, and cures the flexible packaging strip at the preset distance to keep the distance unchanged.

[0010] Furthermore, the base is made of a high-strength material, such as aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or engineering plastic.

[0011] Furthermore, the displacement adjustment mechanism includes a fine-tuning screw and a corresponding scale, used to quantitatively control the distance between the slide and the cover glass when the flexible sealing strip is not cured.

[0012] Furthermore, the displacement adjustment mechanisms on both sides work together to achieve parallel lifting and lowering of the upper adjustment plate, thereby ensuring the parallelism and stability of the spacing adjustment between the slide and the cover glass.

[0013] Furthermore, the upper adjustment plate is made of a high-transmittance optical material to ensure the effective transmission of irradiated light intensity during the photocuring process, thereby improving the consistency of the curing of the flexible packaging strip.

[0014] Furthermore, the flexible encapsulation strip is a compressible photocurable polymer material, which has a buffering effect before curing and forms a stable encapsulation structure after curing to maintain the distance between the glass slide and the cover glass.

[0015] Furthermore, the flexible encapsulation strip is positioned away from the microscopic imaging area to achieve sample encapsulation without affecting imaging quality.

[0016] Furthermore, the device also includes a light-shielding plate, which is disposed above the upper adjustment plate and is used to shield the sample to be packaged during the photocuring process to prevent the sample from being affected by light.

[0017] This invention also provides a sample encapsulation and thickness control method based on a photocurable flexible encapsulation strip, comprising the following steps:

[0018] Step 1: Place the glass slide on the surface of the base and fix the position of the glass slide using the first limiting device;

[0019] Step 2: Place the sample to be packaged on the surface of the glass slide and set a flexible packaging strip around the sample;

[0020] Step 3: Fix the cover glass to the lower end of the upper adjustment plate using the third limiting device, and fix the upper adjustment plate to the displacement adjustment mechanism on both sides using the second limiting device;

[0021] Step 4: In the uncured state of the flexible sealing strip, adjust the height of the upper adjusting plate through the displacement adjusting mechanism so that the gap between the glass slide and the cover glass slide reaches the target thickness.

[0022] Step 5: After confirming that the distance between the glass slide and the cover glass reaches the target thickness, place the light shield above the upper adjustment plate and expose the flexible sealing strip to light to cure it and keep the distance unchanged.

[0023] Step 6: After photocuring is complete, remove the encapsulation structure containing the glass slide, the sample to be encapsulated, and the cover glass.

[0024] Furthermore, in step 5, the light-shielding plate blocks the sample to be packaged but does not block the flexible packaging strip.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0026] 1. This invention, through the coordinated design of displacement adjustment mechanism and limiting structure, stably maintains the parallel state between the slide and cover glass during the packaging process, avoiding sample tilting from affecting the parallelism of subsequent packaging;

[0027] 2. This invention achieves precise control and long-term maintenance of the encapsulation thickness by adjusting the encapsulation thickness in the uncured state of the flexible encapsulation strip and locking it with photocuring at the target thickness, thereby improving the consistency and stability of sample encapsulation.

[0028] 3. This invention utilizes a flexible encapsulation strip and a displacement adjustment mechanism working in tandem. In its uncured state, the flexible encapsulation strip continuously follows the changes in the distance between the slide and the coverslip during adjustment. After adjustment to the preset thickness, the flexible encapsulation strip is photocured, locking and stabilizing the encapsulation thickness. This improves the consistency of encapsulation for different samples and effectively avoids problems such as sample compression, movement, and non-parallelism caused by adjusting the objective lens during stimulated Raman scattering microscopy. It improves the quality of microscopic imaging and is suitable for encapsulating and microscopically imaging various tissue samples. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other examples can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sample packaging and thickness control device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a sample packaging and thickness control method based on the device of the present invention;

[0032] In the diagram, 1-base, 2-displacement adjustment mechanism, 3-upper adjustment plate, 4-glass slide, 5-cover glass slide, 6-flexible sealing strip, 7-limiting device. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the features in the following embodiments and implementation methods can be combined with each other.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides a sample packaging and thickness control device based on a photocurable flexible packaging strip, including: a base 1, a displacement adjustment mechanism 2, an upper adjustment plate 3, and different limiting devices 7 disposed on the above components. The limiting devices 7 include a first limiting device, a second limiting device, and a third limiting device.

[0036] The base 1 is provided with a first limiting device for fixing the glass slide 4; the displacement adjustment mechanism 2 is fixed on both sides of the base 1, and the two ends of the upper adjustment plate 3 are fixed by the second limiting devices of the two side displacement adjustment mechanisms 2. The lower end of the upper adjustment plate 3 is provided with a third limiting device for fixing the cover glass 5; a sample to be packaged is placed between the glass slide 4 and the cover glass 5, and a flexible packaging strip 6 is provided around the sample to be packaged; the displacement adjustment mechanism 2 adjusts the glass slide 4 and the cover glass 5 to a preset distance when the flexible packaging strip 6 is not cured, and cures the flexible packaging strip 6 at the preset distance to keep the distance unchanged.

[0037] The device includes a light-shielding plate, which is positioned above the upper adjustment plate 3 to prevent the sample to be packaged from being affected by light during the photocuring process.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, this invention also provides a sample encapsulation and thickness control method based on a photocurable flexible encapsulation strip, comprising the following steps:

[0039] Step 1: Place the glass slide 4 in the bearing position of the base 1, and fix the position of the glass slide 4 by the first limiting device.

[0040] Step 2: Place the sample to be packaged on the surface of the glass slide 4, and set a flexible packaging strip 6 around the sample. The flexible packaging strip 6 is set at a position away from the microscopic imaging area to achieve sample packaging without affecting the imaging quality.

[0041] Step 3: Fix the cover glass 5 to the lower end of the upper adjustment plate 3 through the third limiting device, and fix the upper adjustment plate 3 to the displacement adjustment mechanism 2 on both sides through the second limiting device, so that the glass slide 4 and the cover glass 5 remain relatively parallel under the constraint of each limiting device.

[0042] Step 4: In the uncured state of the flexible encapsulation strip 6, the height of the upper adjustment plate 3 is adjusted by the displacement adjustment mechanism 2 so that the distance between the glass slide 4 and the cover glass 5 reaches the target thickness, so that the uncured flexible encapsulation strip 6 forms an encapsulation cavity of predetermined thickness between the two glass slides.

[0043] Step 5: After confirming that the distance between the slide 4 and the cover glass 5 has reached the target thickness, while keeping the relative positions of the cover glass and the slide unchanged, place the light shield above the upper adjustment plate 3 without blocking the flexible sealing strip 6, and expose the flexible sealing strip 6 to light to cure it, so as to keep the distance unchanged.

[0044] Step 6: After photocuring is completed, the flexible encapsulation strip 6 undergoes a photocuring reaction and changes from an uncured state to a solid structure. The third limiting device is released from fixing the cover glass 5, and the second limiting device is released from fixing the upper adjusting plate 3. This releases the connection between the cover glass 5 and the upper adjusting plate 3, and the upper adjusting plate 3 is removed. The first limiting device is released from fixing the glass slide 4, and the encapsulation structure containing the glass slide 4, the sample to be encapsulated, and the cover glass 5 is taken out for imaging measurement.

[0045] Among them, by using the thickness control and photocuring synergistic process, stable encapsulation of samples with different thicknesses and characteristics can be achieved, thereby improving the consistency and stability of sample encapsulation.

[0046] Preferably, the components of the sample packaging and thickness control device of the present invention can be made of different materials according to specific usage requirements, so as to ensure structural stability while taking into account operational convenience and packaging effect.

[0047] Base 1: Made of materials with sufficient structural strength, such as aluminum alloy, stainless steel or engineering plastics, to ensure the stability and reliability of the device during thickness adjustment and packaging.

[0048] Displacement adjustment mechanism 2: Composed of a fine-tuning screw, guide rail, and spring mechanism. It can be made of metal materials, such as stainless steel or alloy steel, to ensure transmission accuracy, wear resistance, and service life. Displacement adjustment mechanism 2 is used to quantitatively control the distance between the slide 4 and the cover glass 5 when the flexible sealing strip 6 is not cured; and through the coordinated action of the two side displacement adjustment mechanisms 2, it achieves parallel lifting and lowering of the upper adjustment plate 3, thereby ensuring the parallelism and stability of the distance between the slide 4 and the cover glass 5.

[0049] Upper adjustment plate 3: Made of high transmittance optical material to ensure light transmittance during the photocuring process, thereby improving the consistency of curing of flexible encapsulation strip 6.

[0050] Flexible encapsulation strip 6: This is a photocurable polymer material that has a certain degree of fluidity or plasticity in its uncured state. Under light irradiation, it can undergo a curing reaction and transform from an uncured state into a solid structure. The encapsulation strip material can be selected from acrylate-based photocurable materials, silicone-based photocurable materials, polyurethane-based photocurable materials, or combinations thereof, to form a stable and elastic solid encapsulation layer after curing.

[0051] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and embodiments are to be considered exemplary only.

[0052] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope.

Claims

1. A sample packaging and thickness control device based on a photocurable flexible packaging strip, characterized in that, include: Base (1), displacement adjustment mechanism (2) and upper adjustment plate (3); The base (1) is provided with a first limiting device for fixing the glass slide (4); the displacement adjustment mechanism (2) is fixed on both sides of the base (1), and the two ends of the upper adjustment plate (3) are fixed by the second limiting devices of the two side displacement adjustment mechanisms (2). The lower end of the upper adjustment plate (3) is provided with a third limiting device, and the cover glass (5) is fixed by the third limiting device; a sample to be packaged is placed between the glass slide (4) and the cover glass (5), and a flexible packaging strip (6) is provided around the sample to be packaged; the displacement adjustment mechanism (2) adjusts the glass slide (4) and the cover glass (5) to a preset distance in the uncured state of the flexible packaging strip (6), and cures the flexible packaging strip (6) in the preset distance state to keep the distance unchanged.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base (1) is made of high-strength material.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The displacement adjustment mechanism (2) includes a fine-tuning screw and a corresponding scale, used to quantitatively control the distance between the slide (4) and the cover glass (5) when the flexible packaging strip (6) is not cured.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The displacement adjustment mechanisms (2) on both sides work together to achieve the parallel lifting and lowering of the upper adjustment plate (3), which is used to achieve the parallelism of the spacing adjustment between the slide (4) and the cover glass (5).

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper adjustment plate (3) is made of high transmittance optical material and is used to ensure the effective transmission of irradiation light intensity during the photocuring process.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible encapsulation strip (6) is a compressible photocurable polymer material. It has a buffering effect before curing and forms a stable encapsulation structure after curing to maintain the distance between the glass slide (4) and the cover glass (5).

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible encapsulation strip (6) is positioned away from the microscopic imaging area to encapsulate the sample without affecting the imaging quality.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device also includes a light shield, which is positioned above the upper adjustment plate (3) and is used to shield the sample to be packaged during the photocuring process to prevent the sample from being affected by light.

9. A sample packaging and thickness control method based on the device according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Place the glass slide (4) on the surface of the base (1) and fix the position of the glass slide (4) by the first limiting device; Step 2: Place the sample to be packaged on the surface of the glass slide (4) and set a flexible packaging strip (6) around the sample to be packaged. Step 3: Fix the cover glass (5) to the lower end of the upper adjustment plate (3) through the third limiting device, and fix the upper adjustment plate (3) to the displacement adjustment mechanism (2) on both sides through the second limiting device. Step 4: In the uncured state of the flexible sealing strip (6), adjust the height of the upper adjusting plate (3) by means of the displacement adjusting mechanism (2) so that the gap between the glass slide (4) and the cover glass (5) reaches the target thickness; Step 5: After confirming that the distance between the glass slide (4) and the cover glass (5) reaches the target thickness, place the light shield above the upper adjustment plate (3) and expose the flexible sealing strip (6) to light to solidify it, so as to keep the distance unchanged. Step 6: After photocuring is completed, remove the encapsulation structure containing the glass slide (4), the sample to be encapsulated, and the cover glass (5).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step 5, the light-shielding plate blocks the sample to be packaged but does not block the flexible packaging strip (6).

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