Cryogenic Storage Container With Predefined Leak For Sample Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cryo-microscopy samples require safe storage under cryogenic temperatures to prevent contamination and devitrification, with existing storage solutions often leading to orientation issues and increased handling time due to the need for additional imaging steps to restore sample orientation during transfer.
Innovation Solution
A storage container with a predefined leak for venting cryogenic gas, a secure lid configuration to prevent excessive pressure, and geometric features for maintaining sample orientation, including a cylindrical form with a round bottom and a lid that provides a spatial orientation and rotation lock, ensuring the sample holder is fixed and handled correctly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealed storage container is used to prevent contamination, then sample purity is improved, but pressure buildup from cryogenic gas expansion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container incorporates a porous PTFE filter as a membrane seal that allows selective permeation. The filter's porous structure enables cryogenic gas to pass through while blocking liquid contaminants, thus maintaining sample integrity while preventing pressure buildup from gas expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The PTFE filter acts as an intermediary element between the sealed container interior and exterior. It mediates the interaction between cryogenic gas and the external environment, allowing gas to escape through the filter while preventing liquid contamination, thus resolving the contradiction between sealing and pressure relief.
2Ease of operation
If sample orientation is not fixed during storage, then ease of handling is improved, but additional imaging steps are required to restore orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container is designed with geometric features (cylindrical shape with round bottom) and positioning structures that automatically orient the sample holder in the correct position during storage. This preliminary orientation action eliminates the need for subsequent imaging steps to restore orientation, reducing handling time while maintaining ease of operation.
3Manufacturing precision
If the container provides spatial orientation, then sample orientation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container employs asymmetric geometric features, specifically a cylindrical body with a round bottom, to provide spatial orientation. This asymmetric design creates a unique orientation that simplifies the container structure while ensuring accurate sample positioning, thus achieving high orientation accuracy without increasing device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The storage container effectively maintains sample integrity by preventing contamination and devitrification, reducing handling time, and ensuring correct sample orientation during transfer, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the cryo-microscopy workflow.
Implementation Method 1
a predefined leak allowing cryogenic gas to pass through the leak from the interior of the storage container body
Implementation Method 2
a storage container body having an opening for receiving the sample holder in the interior of the storage container body, and a lid for closing said opening
Implementation Method 3
cylindrical form with a round bottom and a lid that provides a spatial orientation and rotation lock
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The present invention relates to a storage container (100) for storing a sample holder (200) under cryogenic temperatures, the storage container (100) comprising a storage container body (110) having an opening (112) for receiving the sample holder (200) in the interior of the storage container body (110), and a lid (120) for closing said opening (112), the storage container (100) further comprising a predefined leak allowing cryogenic gas to pass through the leak from the interior of the storage container (100).