Capillary array end face polishing method
By forming a continuous ice barrier and localized blocking in the capillary array, the problem of particle blockage during polishing is solved, achieving efficient cleaning and high-precision polishing, which is suitable for end face polishing of capillary arrays.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA BUILDING MATERIALS ACADEMY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-19
AI Technical Summary
During the polishing process of capillary arrays, polishing particles can easily enter the inside of the capillary and cause blockage. Existing sealing materials are difficult to completely remove, resulting in low cleaning efficiency and easy damage to the tube body.
Water is used to form an internal ice barrier. Ice formation is controlled by multi-level gradient cooling to form a continuous ice layer that blocks polishing particles. Local heating forms grooves that are filled with shallow paraffin wax for sealing. During polishing, an alumina pad and water are used as polishing tools. During cleaning, solvent oil or heating is used to remove the sealing material.
It effectively prevents polishing particles from entering the capillary, reduces the residue of sealing materials, simplifies the cleaning process, improves cleaning efficiency, and ensures the flow performance and accuracy of the capillary.
Smart Images
Figure CN121156829B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of capillary processing technology, and in particular to a method for polishing the end face of a capillary array to prevent clogging. Background Technology
[0002] In some fiber optic sensors based on capillary arrays, high flatness of the capillary array end faces is often required to facilitate coupling with the window material. For example, a fast neutron detector uses a capillary array internally filled with liquid scintillator, with glass or fiber optic panels encapsulated at both ends. If the end faces of the capillary array are uneven, it can cause crosstalk between the capillary array and the liquid scintillator encapsulated in the window material, reducing resolution. Therefore, such capillaries require high-precision end face polishing.
[0003] However, for capillary arrays with small inner diameters and high aspect ratios, polishing particles (such as diamond powder, alumina particles, and glass fragments) can easily enter the capillary during polishing, causing blockages. These blockage particles are difficult to remove using conventional methods such as high-pressure flushing and ultrasonic cleaning, severely affecting the flow performance and accuracy of the capillary.
[0004] In existing technologies, researchers have tried various sealing methods to solve the problem of particle blockage. One technique is the paraffin sealing method, which utilizes the property that paraffin is solid at room temperature. It is heated and melted, then poured into a capillary, cooled and solidified to fill the capillary and form a sealing layer. After polishing, the paraffin is heated and melted again to remove it. Another technique is the resin sealing method, which uses UV-cured resin injected into the capillary. After curing under light, a sealing layer is formed, and after polishing, the resin is removed. These two techniques are commonly used when the capillary thickness is small or the length-to-diameter ratio is low. Practice has shown that for slender capillaries, complete removal of paraffin and resin is very difficult, resulting in significant residual contamination inside the capillary, easy damage to the capillary body, and low cleaning efficiency. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a method for polishing the end face of a capillary array to prevent clogging. The technical problem to be solved is how to polish the end face of the capillary array so that the polishing process causes less contamination to the capillary array, is easy to clean, has high cleaning efficiency, and has a low risk of damage to the tube body, thus making it more suitable for practical use.
[0006] The objective of this invention and the technical problem it solves are achieved through the following technical solution. A method for polishing the end face of a capillary array according to this invention includes the following steps:
[0007] S1 fills the capillaries of the capillary array with water;
[0008] S2 places a water-filled capillary array in a low-temperature environment and executes a preset temperature regime to freeze the water while keeping the capillary array intact.
[0009] S3 locally heats both ends of the capillary array where water has frozen, causing the ice at both ends of the capillary to melt and forming grooves at both ends of each capillary.
[0010] S4 fills the groove with sealing material to seal the capillary port;
[0011] S5 polishing; removal of sealing material, first cleaning;
[0012] S6 places the cleaned capillary array in a room temperature environment, allowing the internal ice to melt naturally into water; the water is drained, and a second cleaning is performed to obtain a polished capillary array.
[0013] The objectives of this invention and the technical problems it addresses can be further achieved by the following technical measures.
[0014] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end-face polishing method, the temperature regime is a multi-stage gradient cooling, comprising at least:
[0015] The first temperature stage involves cooling down to 3-5℃ and then holding the temperature for 0.5-2 hours.
[0016] The second temperature range involves a second cooling down to 0~1℃, followed by a second holding period of 0.5~2 hours; the second cooling rate is ≤0.5℃ / min.
[0017] In the third temperature range, the capillary array is placed vertically on the bottom cold source with the lower end face of the array in close contact with the surface of the bottom cold source; the temperature of the cold source is reduced to -20~-2℃ at a rate of ≤0.5℃ / min and kept at this temperature for 1~6 hours.
[0018] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the cold source is a semiconductor cooling chip or a low-temperature metal stage; the cold source conducts cold energy upward from the lower end of the capillary array and places it on the cooling source.
[0019] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the process of filling the capillaries of the capillary array with water involves immersing one end of the capillary array in water and relying on capillary action to absorb water or injecting water in a peristaltic filling manner.
[0020] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the local heating of both ends of the capillary array where the water is frozen is achieved by using a local heating plate to instantaneously heat both ends of the array; the heating temperature is 30~50℃ and the time is 0.5~3min.
[0021] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the groove depth is 2 to 5 mm.
[0022] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the sealing material is paraffin wax; after filling the groove with paraffin wax, the excess paraffin wax outside the capillary end face is removed with a scraper.
[0023] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the polishing is performed by using an alumina pad as a polishing pad and water as a polishing liquid to polish the capillary array.
[0024] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the unblocking material is removed by soaking in solvent oil or by heating to melt paraffin.
[0025] Preferably, in the aforementioned capillary array end face polishing method, the water is discharged by blowing out the melted water through a slight blowing motion.
[0026] By employing the above technical solution, the capillary array end-face polishing method proposed in this invention has at least the following advantages:
[0027] The capillary array end-face polishing method proposed in this invention effectively solves key problems in existing slender capillary array polishing processes, such as polishing particle clogging, excessive and difficult-to-remove sealing material residue, and low cleaning efficiency. It simultaneously ensures polishing accuracy and capillary performance, demonstrating significant practical advantages. This method first fills the capillary with water, then freezes the water into ice using a specific multi-stage gradient cooling system. This ensures the capillary array remains intact and does not break, while the internal ice layer forms a stable barrier, fundamentally preventing polishing particles such as diamond powder and alumina particles from entering the capillary during polishing. This completely avoids the impact of particle clogging on capillary flow performance and accuracy. Compared to existing sealing methods that involve filling the entire capillary tube with paraffin wax or UV-cured resin, this method only fills the grooves formed by melting ice at both ends of the capillary with a shallow layer of paraffin wax. This significantly reduces the amount of sealing material used, and the paraffin wax at the ends can be easily removed by soaking in solvent oil or heating, leaving no obvious residue. Simultaneously, the ice layer inside the capillary melts naturally into water at room temperature after polishing and can be expelled with a gentle breath, resulting in minimal contamination of the capillary. This effectively solves the problems of existing sealing materials being difficult to completely remove, easily causing tube damage, and leaving residual contamination. Furthermore, the polishing process uses an alumina pad as the polishing pad and water as the polishing fluid, eliminating the need for additional polishing powder and further reducing the risk of polishing contamination. This ensures a high-precision polishing effect on the capillary end face, meeting the requirements of fast neutron detectors for high flatness and low crosstalk on the capillary array end face. It also simplifies the subsequent cleaning process, improves cleaning efficiency, and makes the entire polishing method more suitable for practical applications.
[0028] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description
[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the single capillary filling process in the capillary array of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0030] To further illustrate the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the intended purpose, the following detailed description, in conjunction with preferred embodiments, provides a method for polishing the end face of a capillary array according to the present invention, including its specific implementation, structure, features, and effects. In the following description, different "embodiments" or "embodiments" do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, specific features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments can be combined in any suitable form.
[0031] This invention proposes a method for polishing the end face of a capillary array, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 1 As shown in the attached diagram, the numerical markings have the following meanings: 1 represents capillary, 2 represents water, 3 represents ice, 4 represents a groove, and 5 represents paraffin wax. Polishing includes the following steps:
[0032] The first step is to fill the capillaries of the capillary array with water. The technical purpose of this step is to provide a uniform, void-free medium for the subsequent formation of a protective barrier inside the capillary through low-temperature freezing. This also accommodates the small inner diameter and high aspect ratio of the capillary, ensuring its subsequent performance. Specifically, filling the capillary with water ensures that it freezes uniformly into a continuous and complete ice layer under low-temperature conditions. This ice layer is a crucial barrier preventing polishing particles such as diamond powder, alumina particles, and glass fragments from entering the capillary during polishing, thus preventing particle blockage and ensuring its flow performance and accuracy. Furthermore, using water as the medium allows for easy removal of residue from the capillary after melting, ensuring the capillary's cleanliness to meet the precision requirements of subsequent encapsulation processes, such as filling liquid scintillators and coupling window materials. Simultaneously, the filling process overcomes the problem of air bubbles or voids forming inside the slender capillary, ensuring the ice layer covers the entire length of the capillary and preventing protective failure due to discontinuous ice layers, thus facilitating subsequent high-precision polishing and sealing operations.
[0033] In the above steps, water injection into the capillary can be carried out using conventional techniques in this field.
[0034] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, it is preferable to immerse one end of the capillary array in water, relying on capillary action to absorb water. By utilizing the surface tension and adhesion of the capillary itself, the small inner diameter of the capillary can be naturally and uniformly filled. Without mechanical intervention, gaps within the capillary can be avoided, thus ensuring that the inside of the capillary is filled with water. Moreover, capillary action is without external pressure, relying entirely on physical properties to naturally absorb water, without any compression or friction on the tube wall, avoiding damage to the capillary, and there is no source of pollution, ensuring that the capillary is not contaminated.
[0035] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, water is preferably injected using a peristaltic filling method. Peristaltic filling, through controllable low-pressure delivery, can precisely push water to capillaries with higher aspect ratios or insufficient capillary action for rapid filling, thereby ensuring that every capillary, i.e., all individual tubes in the array, is completely filled with water without any gaps while ensuring efficiency. Peristaltic filling is delivered through the flexible tubing of a peristaltic pump, and the pressure can be precisely controlled to avoid exceeding the tolerance limit of the tube wall. There are no rigid parts in contact with the inner wall of the capillary, fundamentally protecting the structural integrity of the slender capillaries. At the same time, the tubing of peristaltic filling is made of clean material, which does not leach out when in contact with water, and can prevent air pollutants from entering the tube, ensuring the cleanliness of the water injection process.
[0036] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the length of the capillary is preferably 15-50 mm. The technical purpose of this setting is to adapt to subsequent key steps such as freezing and ice making, and local processing, to avoid damage to the capillary structure, while ensuring the ice barrier is clogging-proof and has low residue. Specifically, during the subsequent freezing process, the volume of water expands due to freezing. If the capillary is too long, the volume expansion of the ice will increase accordingly. For capillary tubes with small inner diameters and thin walls, excessive expansion pressure will exceed the tolerance limit of the tube wall, causing the capillary to rupture and directly damaging the processed part, making it unusable for subsequent polishing. Selecting a capillary tube with a length of ≤50 mm can control the total amount of water in the capillary, thereby limiting the total pressure after ice expansion and ensuring the integrity of the capillary structure after freezing. The key design of the present invention is the internal ice barrier and the shallow ends. The application of paraffin wax requires the formation of 2-5mm microgrooves at both ends of the capillary to fill the wax, while the middle section must retain intact ice (to block polishing particles). If the capillary length is less than 15mm, the combined 2-5mm grooves at both ends will encroach on the effective length of the middle ice barrier, potentially leading to a lack of intact ice in the middle, causing the ice barrier to break and allowing polishing particles to still penetrate through the gaps. Furthermore, excessively short capillaries are difficult to position and manipulate within the array; for example, localized heating can easily melt the middle ice, failing to achieve the low-residue advantage of removing only the shallow paraffin wax at both ends. Selecting capillaries with a length of ≥15mm allows for sufficient middle sections to form a continuous and complete ice barrier, while also providing operational space for segmented processes such as localized heating at both ends, wax injection, and wax removal, ensuring precise execution of each step.
[0037] The second step involves placing a water-filled capillary array in a low-temperature environment and applying a preset temperature regime to freeze the water while maintaining the integrity of the capillary array. The technical objective is to form a continuous and dense ice barrier within the capillary, ensuring that polishing particles cannot enter the tube through the capillary port during subsequent polishing. This solves the problem of polishing particles clogging the capillary in existing technologies and prevents the capillary from being damaged due to volume expansion during the freezing process. By controlling the ice crystallization rate and expansion pressure through the temperature regime, the physical integrity of the capillary array, especially the slender, thin-walled capillary structures, is guaranteed.
[0038] The above steps are one of the key steps of this invention. The core requirement of this invention is to prevent polishing particles from entering the capillary, and the ice barrier is a direct means to achieve this function. If the ice formation is insufficient, such as the presence of voids, air bubbles, or a loose ice structure with tiny gaps, the polishing particles will directly seep in from the defects, causing blockage, and all subsequent processes (such as wax injection and polishing) will become meaningless. Therefore, this step is a prerequisite for the realization of the function; this step can also resolve the contradiction between ice expansion and capillary structure protection. When water freezes, its volume expands, but the inner diameter of the capillary is small and the wall is thin. If it is directly and rapidly frozen, the local expansion pressure will increase sharply, causing the wall to rupture. This invention can precisely control the crystallization rate by setting a temperature regime, such as gradient cooling and constant temperature stage, to slowly form small ice crystals and avoid gaps caused by large ice crystals. At the same time, it allows the expansion pressure to be released evenly, avoiding excessive local stress. A better balance is achieved between complete freezing and the integrity of the capillary structure. Solving this technical difficulty is the key to the feasibility of this invention. This invention chooses ice as a temporary barrier, and the realization of its advantages depends entirely on controllable freezing. Only by ensuring the integrity of the ice and the safety of the capillary through a preset temperature regime can the technological breakthrough of no residue and easy removal be realized.
[0039] Water is prone to two types of problems during rapid cooling. First, it may experience supercooling (e.g., remaining liquid even when rapidly cooled to -5°C). Once crystallization is triggered, latent heat is released, causing a sudden rise in local temperature, accompanied by violent volume expansion, which can directly rupture the capillary. Second, water molecules do not have enough time to arrange themselves in an orderly manner, easily forming large ice crystals. Gaps easily form between these ice crystals, especially in the small inner diameter of the capillary, resulting in a non-dense ice barrier, allowing subsequent polishing particles to seep in through these gaps. To specifically address these problems, this invention achieves controllable freezing through multi-stage gradient cooling. The core of this invention is to break down the cooling process into multiple temperature segments, gradually guiding water to crystallize through a combination of slow cooling and heat preservation, thus avoiding both supercooling and violent expansion while ensuring that the ice crystals are fine and intact.
[0040] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, at least three temperature ranges are preferably provided: The first temperature range involves cooling to 3~5℃ and holding at this temperature for 0.5~2h. This step is set because water has the highest density at 4℃. Holding at this temperature allows for sufficient convection of water within the capillary and uniform temperature, avoiding local temperature stratification caused by density differences. This provides a homogeneous basis for subsequent crystallization, which is also a prerequisite for achieving ordered crystallization. If the initial temperature is uneven, subsequent crystallization is prone to problems such as localized excessively fast or slow crystallization. The second temperature range involves cooling to 0~1℃ at a rate of ≤0.5℃ / min and holding at this temperature for 0.5~2h. This is because controlling the cooling slowly near the freezing point further homogenizes the temperature, allowing for precise control of the transition of water from liquid to solid state, avoiding localized overcooling (gradually reaching crystallization conditions, rather than abruptly dropping below the freezing point while remaining liquid). The third temperature range involves cooling to -20~-2℃ at a rate of ≤0.5℃ / min and holding at this temperature for 1~6h. Lower temperatures ensure that water freezes completely, while slow cooling continues to control the rate of ice crystal growth, preventing small ice crystals from rapidly merging into large ice crystals due to a sudden drop in temperature, ultimately forming a continuous, dense ice structure.
[0041] From an overall logical perspective, the multi-temperature-segment setup allows the freezing process to proceed in stages: crystallization begins at a lower temperature from the end closer to the cold source, and then freezing gradually moves towards the end farther from the cold source at an even lower temperature. This avoids a sudden pressure surge caused by the instantaneous freezing of the entire water pipe, solving the problem of violent expansion after supercooling that could rupture the capillary. The insulation of each temperature segment ensures that the capillary temperatures inside and outside the capillary, and at different locations within the array, are synchronized, preventing compressive stress on unfrozen areas caused by localized freezing and expansion. Furthermore, the parameter settings of this temperature regime have a certain range, aiming to accommodate capillary sizes: short tubes have a faster thermal response, allowing for shorter insulation times; long tubes have slower thermal conduction, allowing for longer insulation times to ensure the internal temperature reaches the target, thus adapting to batch processing needs.
[0042] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the capillary array in the third temperature band is preferably placed vertically along the axis, and the lower end face of the array is in close contact with the surface of the bottom cold source (such as a semiconductor cooling chip or a low-temperature metal stage), so that directional cooling from bottom to top is achieved through the bottom cold source; the temperature of the bottom cold source drops from the end of the second temperature band (0~1℃) at a rate of ≤0.5℃ / min. At 20~-2℃, the cold energy is conducted upwards along the capillary axis, causing the water inside the tube to gradually freeze from the bottom up. This process utilizes gravity to guide the unfrozen water downwards naturally, preventing the formation of air pockets inside the tube and reducing residual air bubbles in the ice. The bottom-to-top freezing sequence releases the pressure generated by ice expansion axially upwards (rather than radially compressing the tube wall), making it particularly suitable for capillary tubes with high aspect ratios (e.g., 50mm), further reducing the risk of tube wall rupture due to localized pressure concentration. The surface temperature uniformity of the bottom cold source is ≤±0.5℃, and the lower end of the array is in close contact with the cold source (consistent contact pressure can be ensured through fine-tuning clamps), avoiding uneven freezing at the bottom and top due to poor localized contact, ensuring consistent ice structure density in all capillary tubes in the array. This setup, through the synergy of bottom-directed cooling and vertical gravity assistance, strengthens the integrity of the ice barrier, reduces air bubbles, further disperses expansion pressure, protects the capillary structure, and meets the requirements for uniform ice quality in batch processing.
[0043] The third step involves locally heating both ends of the frozen capillary array to melt the ice at the capillary ends, creating grooves at each end of the capillary. The purpose of this step is to create conditions for subsequent port protection and polishing, while preserving the blocking function of the ice barrier in the middle section. Specifically, subsequent steps require injecting a shallow protective material into the capillary ends to prevent polishing particles from entering the capillary after the ice melts during polishing. This invention, through localized heating, melts only the ice at the ends, and the resulting grooves precisely limit the filling range of the protective material. The preferred groove depth is 2-5 mm, ensuring that the material adheres only to the port area and does not penetrate deep into the capillary. If wax is directly injected into the ports without grooves, the filling material, such as paraffin, easily seeps along the tube wall into the deeper parts of the tube, making it difficult to remove completely later. Grooves, however, physically constrain the material filling depth. Furthermore, localized heating only targets the ends, while the ice in the middle section of the capillary remains frozen. It can continue to act as a physical barrier to prevent polishing particles from entering the tube. If local heating is not performed (i.e., the ice at both ends is not melted), and the ports are polished or waxed directly, the ice structure in the middle section may be damaged due to operational disturbances, such as vibration causing gaps and losing its anti-clogging function. Melting only a small amount of ice at the ports (keeping the middle section intact) can meet the port processing requirements without affecting the core blocking function, achieving compatibility between local processing and overall protection. If the ice at both ends of the capillary is not melted, during subsequent polishing, the ice at the ports may partially melt due to contact with the polishing fluid (at room temperature or containing impurities), or the ice structure may crack due to vibration caused by mechanical friction, thus causing the ice barrier in the middle section to lose its continuity. By forming a groove through local heating (where the ice at the ports has melted), protective materials (such as paraffin wax) can be filled into the groove to isolate the ports from the polishing environment, indirectly protecting the stability of the ice barrier in the middle section and ensuring that the anti-clogging function remains effective throughout the polishing process.
[0044] The core of localized heating is to melt only the ice at both ends to form grooves, while the ice in the middle section of the capillary must remain frozen to prevent the protective material filling the ends from penetrating too deeply into the capillary and becoming difficult to remove. In some specific embodiments of the invention, a localized heating plate is preferably used to instantaneously heat both ends of the array; the heating temperature is 30~50℃, and the time is 0.5~3 minutes; only the ice at both ends of the capillary is melted, with a melting length of 2~5mm, forming microgrooves at each capillary end. This step requires careful control of the heating temperature and time to prevent excessive ice melting, which would necessitate injecting more paraffin wax later, making removal more difficult; simultaneously, the heating temperature must not be too low, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve melting only at the ends.
[0045] The fourth step is to fill the groove with sealing material to seal the capillary port. The technical purpose of this step is to provide temporary protection and sealing for the capillary port by accurately filling the pre-set groove with sealing material, so as to ensure that the port structure is not damaged and the inside is not contaminated during the subsequent polishing process.
[0046] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, paraffin wax is preferred as the sealing material; after filling the groove with paraffin wax, the excess paraffin wax on the capillary end face is removed with a scraper. In this step, pathological grade white paraffin wax is used, with a melting point of 52~54℃. This type of paraffin wax has a low impurity content and leaves little residue after removal.
[0047] The fifth step is polishing, removing the sealing material, and cleaning. In some specific embodiments of the present invention, polishing powder is not used; preferably, an alumina pad is used as the polishing pad, and water is used as the polishing fluid to polish the capillary array. Using an alumina pad as the polishing pad is advantageous because its high hardness effectively removes the uneven layer on the capillary end face, while using water as the polishing fluid minimizes polishing contamination or the embedding of polishing particles into the port. The core objective of this step, choosing the combination of an alumina pad and water, is to achieve a controlled grinding action that removes excess material from the port while obtaining an end face shape that meets precision requirements. This avoids port cracking due to excessive hardness / abrasiveness of the polishing pad, and also prevents the polishing fluid components from corroding the paraffin or rapidly melting the ice barrier, ensuring the continued effectiveness of the protective function. Furthermore, using water as the polishing fluid allows for timely flushing of debris, preventing residual contamination.
[0048] After polishing, remove the shallow layer of paraffin wax from both ends of the capillary tube. This can be done by soaking in gasoline or heating to melt the paraffin wax. Immerse one end of the capillary tube in gasoline or hot water to liquefy and remove the paraffin wax. Then turn it around and treat the other end in the same way.
[0049] Finally, the cleaned capillary array is placed in a room temperature environment to allow the ice inside to melt naturally into water; the water is drained, and the array is cleaned to obtain a polished capillary array.
[0050] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, it is preferred to blow out the melted water by gently blowing air. The gentle blowing operation is mild, which can avoid high pressure damage to the small capillaries, and can completely drain the melted water to prevent residue from causing subsequent blockage. It also does not require contact with chemical reagents, has no secondary pollution, and is easy to operate.
[0051] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments, but this should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Some non-essential improvements and adjustments made by those skilled in the art based on the above description of the present invention still fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0052] Unless otherwise specified, all materials and reagents mentioned below are commercially available products well known to those skilled in the art; unless otherwise specified, all methods described are methods known in the art. Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used should have the ordinary meaning understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. Example
[0053] This embodiment provides a method for polishing the end face of a capillary array, wherein the capillary array has an aperture diameter of 50 μm, a length of 15 mm, and an array diameter of 50 mm; the specific process is as follows:
[0054] One end of the capillary array is immersed in water, relying on capillary action to draw water in and ensure that the inside of the capillary is filled with water.
[0055] A capillary array filled with water was placed vertically in a low-temperature chamber with a cold source at the bottom. The temperature of the low-temperature chamber was set as follows: the temperature was lowered to 5°C at a rate of 2°C / min and held at that temperature for 0.5h, then lowered to 0°C at a rate of 0.5°C / min and held for 0.5h, then lowered to -5°C at a rate of 0.5°C / min and held for 1h.
[0056] Heat both ends of the array with a heating plate at a temperature of 50°C for 1 minute to create microgrooves about 3 mm deep at each capillary port.
[0057] Pathological-grade white paraffin was filled into the microgrooves at the capillary ends. The capillary array was polished using an alumina polishing pad and water as the polishing solution.
[0058] After polishing, immerse one end of the capillary tube in gasoline and leave it for 3 hours to allow the paraffin wax to liquefy and detach. Then turn it around and treat the other end of the paraffin wax in the same way.
[0059] The capillary array is placed in a room temperature environment to allow the unmelted ice inside to melt naturally. Water is then expelled by gently blowing air to perform the subsequent routine cleaning operation of the capillary.
[0060] The capillary array polished by the above polishing method has no damage to the capillary tube body, no blockage inside the tube, and a flat cross-section that meets the standard requirements. It is also free from pollution, easy to clean, and has high operating efficiency.
[0061] The technical features in the claims and / or specification of this invention can be combined, and the combination is not limited to the combinations obtained through reference in the claims. Technical solutions obtained by combining the technical features in the claims and / or specification are also within the scope of protection of this invention.
[0062] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method of end face polishing of a capillary array, characterized by, It includes the following steps: S1 fills the capillaries of the capillary array with water; S2 places a water-filled capillary array in a low-temperature environment and executes a preset temperature regime to freeze the water while keeping the capillary array intact. S3 locally heats both ends of the capillary array where water has frozen, causing the ice at both ends of the capillary to melt and forming grooves at both ends of each capillary. S4 fills the groove with sealing material to seal the capillary port; S5 polishing; Remove the sealing material and perform the first cleaning. S6 places the cleaned capillary array in a room temperature environment, allowing the internal ice to melt naturally into water; the water is drained, and a second cleaning is performed to obtain a polished capillary array.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein The temperature regime is a multi-stage gradient cooling system, including at least: The first temperature stage involves cooling down to 3-5℃ and then holding the temperature for 0.5-2 hours. The second temperature range involves a second cooling down to 0~1℃, followed by a second holding period of 0.5~2 hours; the second cooling rate is ≤0.5℃ / min. In the third temperature range, the capillary array is placed vertically on the bottom cold source with the lower end face of the array in close contact with the surface of the bottom cold source; the temperature of the cold source is reduced to -20~-2℃ at a rate of ≤0.5℃ / min and kept at this temperature for 1~6 hours.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The cold source is a semiconductor cooling chip or a low-temperature metal stage; the cold source conducts cold energy directionally upward from the lower end of the capillary array.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein The process of filling the capillary array with water involves immersing one end of the capillary array in water and relying on capillary action to absorb water or injecting water through a peristaltic filling method.
5. The capillary array end face polishing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The local heating of both ends of the capillary array that freezes water is achieved by using a local heating plate to instantaneously heat both ends of the array; the heating temperature is 30~50℃ and the time is 0.5~3min.
6. The capillary array end face polishing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The groove depth is 2 to 5 mm.
7. The capillary array end face polishing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing material is paraffin wax; after filling the groove with paraffin wax, the excess paraffin wax on the outside of the capillary end face is removed with a scraper.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The polishing process involves using an alumina pad as the polishing pad and water as the polishing liquid to polish the capillary array.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: The material used to remove the sealant is made by soaking in solvent oil or by heating to melt the paraffin.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein The water is expelled by gently blowing air out the melted water.