Open-air Crystallization Plate Cooler for Microscopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for handling crystals in X-ray crystallography, particularly at low temperatures like 4° Celsius, are inefficient due to the need for prolonged exposure to cold environments, leading to reduced dexterity and limited productivity for crystallographers, as they must work in cold rooms for extended periods to avoid damaging crystals.
Innovation Solution
A microscope apparatus that cools the air around the specimen stage using a transparent coolant or Peltier coolers, maintaining crystals at low temperatures while allowing the experimenter to work in a more comfortable environment, with parallel fins for enhanced heat exchange and the ability to humidify the area to prevent dehydration of aqueous crystals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crystals are handled at low temperatures (4° Celsius) to maintain crystal quality and prevent damage, then crystal reliability is improved, but the experimenter's dexterity and productivity deteriorate due to prolonged exposure to cold environments
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus divides the cooling function into separate components: a coolant circulation system with reservoir, pump, and tubing that cools only the specimen stage area rather than the entire workspace. This allows the experimenter to work in a comfortable temperature environment while the crystal handling area remains cold.
Solution Approach 2:
A transparent coolant or Peltier cooler acts as an intermediary between the experimenter's hands and the crystal handling area. The cooled air or solid coolant medium transfers thermal energy away from the specimen stage without requiring the experimenter to be exposed to cold temperatures.
2Reliability
If a cold room environment is used to maintain low temperatures for crystal handling, then crystal reliability is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cooling function from the entire room environment and concentrates it only where needed—at the specimen stage. This eliminates the need for a cold room infrastructure while maintaining the necessary low temperature for crystal handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus applies cooling locally to the specimen stage area rather than uniformly to the entire workspace. The coolant circulation system targets only the region where crystals are handled, creating a localized cold zone with controlled temperature while the rest of the environment remains comfortable.
3Reliability
If the experimenter works extended periods in a cold room to handle crystals, then crystal reliability is maintained, but the experimenter's dexterity and ease of operation worsen due to numbness and reduced productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling environment is segmented so that only the specimen stage area is cold, while the experimenter's workspace remains at comfortable temperature. This allows the experimenter to maintain full dexterity and operational ease while the crystal handling area stays cold.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooled air or Peltier cooler serves as an intermediary that maintains crystal temperature without requiring direct thermal exposure of the experimenter's hands. The experimenter can manipulate crystals through the cooled air zone or onto the cooled stage without experiencing the negative effects of cold exposure.
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
Enables crystallographers to handle and manipulate crystals at low temperatures without the need for a cold room, improving productivity and reducing the risk of crystal damage by maintaining a controlled, cooled environment under the microscope.
Implementation Method 1
the air is cooled by circulation of a transparent liquid of high heat capacity ('coolant'), such as ice water, chilled alcohol, or chilled aqueous ethylene glycol, through walls around the specimen stage
Implementation Method 2
parallel fins (composed of a good heat conductor such as copper or aluminum) line the inside walls of the apparatus
Implementation Method 3
circulation of most coolants may be replaced by an array of Peltier coolers
Data Source
AI summary
This invention is intended to allow an experimenter to work at amenable temperatures while viewing and/or manipulating aqueous protein crystals or other specimens under a dissection microscope at close to 4° C. or other controlled temperatures. The invention provides a specimen stage chamber large enough to fit a multi-well plate containing the specimens. The temperature of this specimen stage chamber is controlled by transparent coolant circulated through its walls and through a transparent chamber beneath the specimen stage chamber, without blocking the light path of the microscope. An additional chamber cools the air above the specimen stage chamber. In one version of this apparatus, circulation of most coolants is replaced by an array of Peltier coolers. The apparatus is open to the air above, giving the experimenter direct access to the crystals for manipulation. The invention may have wider application for manipulation of other specimens under a microscope.