Cuvette With Solvent Moat Prevents Evaporation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Light scattering measurements in small cuvettes are affected by solvent evaporation, which alters sample concentration and interferes with data accuracy, and existing solutions like capping or oil overlays have limitations such as contamination risks and complexity in use.
Innovation Solution
A cuvette design featuring a solvent-filled moat that creates saturated vapor pressure within the cuvette, preventing evaporation from the sample, made from inexpensive, moldable polymers like Cyclic Olefin Copolymer, allowing for complex forms and easy disposal, and facilitating sample loading and temperature-dependent measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If capping or oil overlay is used to prevent evaporation, then evaporation is reduced, but contamination risk increases and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A hydrophobic coating is applied to the inner surface of the cuvette, serving as an intermediary layer between the sample and the environment. This coating repels water and prevents evaporation without requiring caps or oil overlays, thus eliminating contamination risks associated with those methods while maintaining evaporation prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs disposable cuvettes with hydrophobic coatings that prevent evaporation without needing caps or overlays. The cuvettes are inexpensive enough to be discarded after single use, eliminating the need for complex sealing mechanisms and associated contamination risks
2Reliability
If capping or oil overlay is used to prevent evaporation, then evaporation is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic coating on the cuvette surface provides self-service evaporation prevention. The coating inherently repels water and maintains sample volume without requiring external caps, overlays, or complex sealing mechanisms, thereby simplifying the overall device and operational procedure
Solution Approach 2:
Disposable cuvettes with integrated hydrophobic coatings eliminate the need for complex sealing components. The simplicity of the disposable design reduces device complexity while maintaining effective evaporation prevention
3Quantity of substance
If sample volume is decreased to use small cuvettes, then sample consumption is reduced, but evaporation impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic coating acts as a protective intermediary that prevents evaporation from the small sample volume. By repelling water at the molecular level, the coating ensures that even minimal sample volumes remain stable without evaporation, maintaining measurement reliability in small cuvettes
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
Minimizes sample evaporation, reduces contamination risks, and simplifies the measurement process, enabling accurate and reliable light scattering data collection with reduced labor and cost associated with cuvette cleaning and reuse.
Implementation Method 1
A new cuvette which may be used with light scattering instruments is disclosed. One embodiment of the inventive cuvette makes use of one or more troughs which may also be configured as a 'moat' contained within the cuvette distinct from the sample chamber of the cuvette, thus any fluid contained within the moat or trough is not in fluid contact with the sample. This moat, when filled with solvent and when the cuvette is capped creates saturated vapor pressure in the chamber, preventing evaporation from the sample itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A cuvette for use with light scattering detectors is disclosed. A trough or moat within the cuvette can be filled with solvent which is not in fluid contact with the sample to be measured. This solvent moat creates saturated vapor pressure in the chamber preventing evaporation from the sample when the cuvette is capped. The cuvette itself may be made of an inexpensive polymer which can be polished to high optical quality while still being moldable in complex forms capable of enabling further utility, such as extra griping surfaces, identification tabs allowing the detection instrument to determine the cuvette model, and various sample chamber forms. The novel cuvette may have extremely small sample volumes, while allowing significant overfill of the measurement chamber, improving ease of sample loading. The polymers used may be relatively inexpensive, and therefore the cuvette can generally be discarded after a single use.