EP4139658A1 - A spacer for a cuvette, use thereof and a method of analysing a sample - Google Patents
A spacer for a cuvette, use thereof and a method of analysing a sampleInfo
- Publication number
- EP4139658A1 EP4139658A1 EP20728386.2A EP20728386A EP4139658A1 EP 4139658 A1 EP4139658 A1 EP 4139658A1 EP 20728386 A EP20728386 A EP 20728386A EP 4139658 A1 EP4139658 A1 EP 4139658A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- spacer
- cuvette
- frame supports
- sample
- base
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 125000006850 spacer group Chemical group 0.000 title claims abstract description 73
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 7
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims description 24
- 238000004611 spectroscopical analysis Methods 0.000 claims description 18
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 14
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000004411 aluminium Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 5
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 239000000523 sample Substances 0.000 description 28
- 238000002474 experimental method Methods 0.000 description 5
- -1 bacteria or viruses Chemical class 0.000 description 3
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 3
- 102000004169 proteins and genes Human genes 0.000 description 3
- 108090000623 proteins and genes Proteins 0.000 description 3
- 239000011147 inorganic material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 150000002632 lipids Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 102000039446 nucleic acids Human genes 0.000 description 2
- 108020004707 nucleic acids Proteins 0.000 description 2
- 150000007523 nucleic acids Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 239000011368 organic material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 241000894006 Bacteria Species 0.000 description 1
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004793 Polystyrene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001069 Raman spectroscopy Methods 0.000 description 1
- 241000700605 Viruses Species 0.000 description 1
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004847 absorption spectroscopy Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002238 attenuated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012472 biological sample Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000593 degrading effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002296 dynamic light scattering Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004993 emission spectroscopy Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001506 fluorescence spectroscopy Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000504 luminescence detection Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005375 photometry Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920001155 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920002223 polystyrene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000915 polyvinyl chloride Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004800 polyvinyl chloride Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003908 quality control method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002285 radioactive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001055 reflectance spectroscopy Methods 0.000 description 1
- 241000894007 species Species 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/01—Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation
- G01N21/03—Cuvette constructions
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/01—Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation
- G01N21/03—Cuvette constructions
- G01N2021/0346—Capillary cells; Microcells
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a carrier for holding a sample cuvette, in particular to a cuvette spacer wherein the cuvette is a micro cell cuvette.
- the present invention relates to use of a spacer and a method of optical analysing a sample having volume less than 200 mI.
- a cuvette is a small tube-like container with straight sides and a circular or square cross section.
- the cuvettes in term of volume, which are suitable for optical spectroscopy such as absorption, emission, dynamic light scattering or any other spectroscopy experiments performed on liquid samples, or experiments employing energy beams (neutrons, electrons, etc.).
- Typical prior art cuvette is shown in Fig. 1.
- Fig. 1a shows a typical cuvette while Fig. 1 b shows a micro cell cuvette defined below. The figures are shown in relative scale to show differences.
- the micro cell cuvette is species cuvette having a container with significantly smaller volume than the cuvette as shown in Fig. 1 a.
- the volume of the microcell cuvette is herewith defined as a cuvette up to 200 mI.
- the micro cell cuvettes are especially suitable for all the spectroscopy techniques where the sample is in liquid form and it is not available in big quantities, as an example biological, radioactive, or specialized samples.
- the state of the art spectroscopy machine provides a holder designed to fit with the cuvette.
- a spacer must be used to make the micro cell compatible with bigger cells.
- the spacer detachable holds the micro cell cuvette inside the holder.
- State of the art spacer as for example shown in Fig. 2, provides a solution which is not sufficient for holding the micro cell cuvette.
- a liquid sample contained in the micro cell cuvette is not situated in the centre of the holder.
- the laser beam is focused to a wall of the cuvette but not to the sample as such, which is highly undesirable for a laser beam spectroscopy.
- the beam is usually focused into the part very close to a wall of the cuvette, sometimes into the wall of the cuvette itself, thus further adjustment is needed. Due to the very delicate nature of the laser optical spectroscopy, any further adjustments are not desirable, as the focus can be difficult to find, the movements given to the cuvette can lead to a rotation of their sides in respect of the axes of the light beam, hence decreasing the signal-to-noise ratio.
- a spacer suitable for holding a micro cell cuvette in a centre of a holder comprises a base and at least two frame supports; wherein the frame supports comprise holes therein allowing to pass a beam into the cuvette on a first side and detect a signal beam on a second side of the spacer, when used; and wherein the frame supports are permanently connected via the base only; - the frame supports being plane symmetrical in respect to a plane passing through a centre of the spacer; and wherein the plane being perpendicular to an edge of the support not connected with the frame supports.
- the spacer according to the present invention provides a stable position of a micro cell cuvette in a holder originally configured to hold a cuvette of bigger volume, resp. size. Furthermore, due to plane symmetry of the spacer, a focus point of the beam is in the centre of the micro cell cuvette thus, it actually measures the sample. The spacer is thus align with a holder and a centre of the micro cell cuvette is coincident with the centre of the holder.
- the beam can be any radiation beam suitable for particular spectroscopy, such as beam of electrons or photons.
- the photon beam can be visible beam such as a laser beam or THz, IR, UV, X-ray and any suitable beam known for particular industrial application.
- the components are made of thermoplastics which bring additional advantage in respect to manufacturing.
- the thermoplastics such as currently used for 3D printers, allow cheap and fast manufacturing. Furthermore, the plastic in general does not scratch the micro cell cuvette as such and thus, it provides also sparing effect thereon.
- the frame support can be made of metal, preferably aluminium.
- the material of base is metal, preferably aluminium.
- the tape layers serves for holding the micro cell cuvette in more stable position while, at the same time, it also absorbs an undesired diffracted beam from a signal beam or a probe beam.
- the spacer mounted on a holder provides particular advantage for carrying out an experiment on a laser table top set up.
- This embodiment is further advantageous in combination with the embodiment defined by claims 6 or 7 in terms, the stability of the sample is crucial due to mechanical vibration of an optical table and it removes a scattered undesired optical signal which may potentially influence experimental measurement.
- Adjustable high is particular advantage in case where spectroscopic devices are not following uniform norm. Adjustable high of the base can be used to further improve position of the micro-cell cuvette so that a probe beam is focused in the sample. [018] In yet another embodiment, the spacer is a part of spectrometric device or used for spectroscopic method as defined by claims 10 or 14.
- Fig. 1a shows a typical prior art cuvette used for optical spectroscopy.
- Fig. 1b shows a micro cell cuvette compared to a cuvette.
- Fig. 2 shows a state of the art spacer for a micro cell cuvette.
- Fig. 3a illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention in axiomatic view.
- Fig. 3b illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention in cross section views.
- Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, the spacer for micro cell cuvette is provided with a tape surrounding two sides of the frame of the spacer.
- FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the spacer is mounted on a holder suitable to be mounted on an optical table.
- Fig. 3a and 3b are schematic figures of the spacer 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
- the spacer 1 is especially suitable for a micro cell cuvette 2 having a container of volume up to 200 mI of a fluid sample.
- the fluid sample can be liquid or gas.
- Samples are analysed via optical spectrometry for instance in research, in diagnostics and in quality control. They are analysed for instance by way of absorption-, reflection-, emission-, fluorescence-, Raman- or luminescence spectroscopy in the UV-VIS or IR wavelength range.
- Examples for analytes to be measured are biomolecules like nucleic acids, proteins, lipids as well as inorganic or organic materials, compounds or biological samples like bacteria or viruses, or in general whole cells. These analytes can be measured directly or after a chemical reaction that serves for facilitating the spectrometric or photometric analysis.
- the spacer 1 comprises a base 3 and at least two frame supports 41 , 42.
- the frame supports 41 , 42 comprises holes 51 , 52.
- an optical beam 61 preferably a laser beam is incident to the sample contained in the container of the micro cell cuvette 2.
- the first hole 51 allows the optical beam 61 to pass through a first side 71 of the frame support 41.
- the optical beam 61 preferably the laser beam interacts with the sample, such as biomolecules like nucleic acids, proteins, lipids as well as inorganic or organic materials, etc., and emits a signal beam 62.
- the signal beam must pass through via a second side 72 of the frame support 42.
- the frame support 42 is provided with the second hole 52 through which the signal beam 62 comes to a detector. It is not needed to provide both holes symmetrical as shown in Fig. 3.
- the first hole 51 may be provided near the bottom of the spacer 1 while the second hole 52 may be provided on the top of the spacer 1 .
- the frame supports 41 , 42 are permanently connected to the base 3 only.
- the top of the frames nor its sides 411 , 412 are not connected via any of connection bridge or nor permanently connected via metal layer mounted on the frames.
- the frame support may be, in preferred embodiment, provided with tape layers 410, 420 absorbing a scattered beam 62.
- the frame supports 41 , 42 are plane symmetrical in respect to a plane 8.
- the plane 8 is a geometrical plane which passes through a centre 9 of the spacer 1 and due to its geometry; it also passes through the centre of micro cell cuvette 2 and holder as well. This is the main advantage of the present invention is respect to the optical beam 61 probing the sample.
- the plane is perpendicular to an edge 30 of the support 3 which is not the edge of the connection between frame supports 41 , 42 and the base.
- the geometry allows coincidence of the centres spacer 1 , micro cell cuvette 2, the holder for standardized cuvette and focus point of the optical beam
- Suitable materials of the frame supports 41 , 42 or the base 3 are for example thermoplastics, such as polystyrene, PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene.
- thermoplastics such as polystyrene, PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene.
- the advantage of the thermoplastics is cheap and fast in term of manufacturing on the state of the art 3D printer.
- the material of the spacer or frame support is metal, such as aluminium or stainless steel.
- the spacer was particularly designed to fit into a holder.
- the holder allows to fit a cuvette of standard size which includes external dimensions 1 to 10 mm, including the glass walls.
- external dimensions 1 to 10 mm, including the glass walls.
- time-resolved optical spectroscopy we needed to use a micro cell cuvette of size 0.1 to 10 mm (usually), thus the size of the spacer was adjusted accordingly to fit the external dimensions.
- the base is thick just to support the cuvette and hold it in the particular place.
- Such embodiment is schematically shown in the second embodiment shown in Fig. 4.
- the high of the base 3 is not inextricably linked to the tape layers 410, 420.
- the spacer 1 is provided with a base 3, wherein height of the base is adjustable.
- the adjustable height is preferred for embodiments where micro cell cuvette 2 is too short.
- Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a spacer 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
- the spacer 1 of the second embodiment comprises frame supports 41 , 42.
- the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 further includes tape layers 410, 420 removable attached to sides 411 , 421 of the spacer 1 according to the first embodiment. Tape layers 410, 420 cover sides 411 , 421 of the frame supports 41 , 42 through which the beam 61 does not pass into the cuvette 2 and the signal beam 62 is not passing out, when the spacer is used, for example in an optical spectroscopy inside a spectrometer.
- the tape layers 411 , 421 are not permanently fixed but is removable when the micro cell cuvette 2 is needed to be plug or unplug from the spacer 1 .
- the removable tape layers can be fastened and unfasted by, for example, a velcro.
- the material of the tape layers 411 , 421 is chosen in respect to the material of the cuvette 2 so that when the cuvette is plug/unplug, the material of the cuvette 2 is not scratched.
- the material of the tape layers 411 , 421 can be chosen to absorb a scattered light 61 from the sample contained in the container of the cuvette 2. Since the tape layers 411 , 421 absorbs the scattered light 61 , a detection noise caused by the scatter is removed. This is particularly advantageous in table top experiment when several detectors or optical components are on the same optical table.
- Fig. 5 is a schematic view of another preferred embodiment, the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the spacer 1 according to the first or the second embodiment of the present invention serves directly as a holder of a micro cell cuvette 2.
- the both previously mentioned embodiments can be mounted directly to a stick serving as another holder 21 which can be mounted on an optical table.
- the spacer 1 is pilotable or rotatable mounted on the stick so that the sample hold by a spacer 1 is capable to move around a rotational axis.
- the base thickness of the spacer according to the third embodiment is chosen such that a screw provides sufficiently stable position of the spacer on top of the stick.
- the means for detachably locking is provided on rare part of the spacer, not on part adjacent to the sample.
- the all of the above-mentioned embodiments can be, directly or with ordinary workshop skills of a skilled person in the art, mounted to a spectrometer or on an optical table.
- the spectrophotometer comprises the micro cell cuvette hold by a holder comprises the spacer according to any of the previously described embodiment.
- the micro cell cuvette thus may contain small volume of the sample, such as 2 mI or 20 mI or 200 mI or any value in between, wherein the samples is for instance protein containing solution.
- the spectrophotometer comprises a laser providing a laser beam. The laser beam is directed to the sample.
- the spectrophotometer comprises a measuring unit and a PC to process and evaluate data obtained from the measurement.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Optical Measuring Cells (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/CZ2020/050024 WO2021213559A1 (en) | 2020-04-22 | 2020-04-22 | A spacer for a cuvette, use thereof and a method of analysing a sample |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP4139658A1 true EP4139658A1 (en) | 2023-03-01 |
Family
ID=70856972
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP20728386.2A Pending EP4139658A1 (en) | 2020-04-22 | 2020-04-22 | A spacer for a cuvette, use thereof and a method of analysing a sample |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP4139658A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2021213559A1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4682890A (en) * | 1985-05-31 | 1987-07-28 | Health Research, Incorporated | Microsample holder and carrier therefor |
US4991958A (en) * | 1989-07-10 | 1991-02-12 | General Atomics | Micropipette adaptor for spectrophotometers |
WO2013155622A1 (en) * | 2012-04-17 | 2013-10-24 | Woitovich Paul | Device for optical examination of small samples |
-
2020
- 2020-04-22 EP EP20728386.2A patent/EP4139658A1/en active Pending
- 2020-04-22 WO PCT/CZ2020/050024 patent/WO2021213559A1/en unknown
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2021213559A1 (en) | 2021-10-28 |
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