Capillary Flow Cells
Capillary Flow Cells are meticulously designed to image biofilm formation in glass capillaries under a wide range of flow rates and surface shear conditions. These innovative flow cells utilize square glass capillaries as both viewing windows and flow channels, providing a comprehensive platform for biofilm research. Each Capillary Flow Cell holds four glass capillaries in a specialized holder, allowing for extensive experimentation and observation.
Both models offer a significantly wider range of flow rates compared to traditional flat plate flow cells, allowing fluid flow characterization from laminar to turbulent flow. Whether you are conducting intricate, high-resolution imaging with the FC 91 or broader-scale studies with the FC 93, our Capillary Flow Cells provide the precision and adaptability required to advance your biofilm research.
FC 91
with standard upright microscope attachment
FC 91
with 96-well plate attachment for inverted microscopes
The FC 91 Capillary Flow Cell is a 4-channel flow cell, each channel featuring a 1mm ID square borosilicate glass capillary. The capillaries have a wall thickness of 0.15mm, enabling the use of high-power objectives, including oil and water immersion objectives. This design ensures compatibility with transmitted, reflected, fluorescence, and confocal microscopy, making the FC 91 an incredibly versatile tool for detailed biofilm studies. Barbed connectors provided are compatible with size 13 (1mm ID) tubing (check flow cell dimensions for stage compatibility).
Publications
Purevdorj-Gage, B., W. J. Costerton, and Paul Stoodley. “Phenotypic differentiation and seeding dispersal in non-mucoid and mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.” Microbiology 151.5 (2005): 1569-1576.
Xi, Chuanwu, et al. “High-resolution three-dimensional imaging of biofilm development using optical coherence tomography.” Journal of biomedical optics 11.3 (2006): 034001-034001.
Leid, Jeff G., et al. “Human leukocytes adhere to, penetrate, and respond to Staphylococcus aureus biofilms.” Infection and immunity 70.11 (2002): 6339-6345.
FC 93
with standard upright microscope attachment
The FC 93 Capillary Flow Cell is also a 4-channel flow cell but each channel features a 3mm ID square borosilicate glass capillary. With a wall thickness of 0.5mm, these capillaries are suitable for long working distance or low-power objectives. Like the FC 91, the FC 93 is compatible with transmitted, reflected, fluorescence, and confocal microscopy. Barbed connectors provided are compatible with size 16 (3mm ID) tubing (check flow cell dimensions for stage compatibility).