Overview of UV18S
Master Bond UV18S is a single-component UV-curable system for bonding applications and shows excellent chemical resistance as well as toughness. It cures within 20–30 seconds under UV irradiation at wavelengths in the range of 320–365 nm. UV18S bonds well to various substrates such as plastics and glass, including the glass capillaries used to develop a sample mixer for X-ray studies of biomolecules.
Application
Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provides valuable information about large biomolecules such as proteins and can help identify drug targets. However, many molecules of interest cannot be produced in quantities sufficient for certain analytical techniques, so small-scale analytical techniques are necessary. In a Ph.D. thesis at Cornell University, a researcher developed three different sample-saving analytical techniques for biomolecules, one of which was specifically designed for the SAXS analysis of reactions occurring between large biomolecules such as proteins. In this technique, they developed a scaled-down version of an industrial static mixer to perform time-resolved SAXS experiments to investigate the reaction kinetics and then bonded and sealed the device with Master Bond UV18S.
Key Parameters and Requirements
Two capillaries on the left house two reactant-containing liquids that are fed into a mixing insert that contains static mixing elements that ensure good mixing between the two feed liquids without the need for additional agitation. The insert was housed in an observation capillary with low background scattering to obtain a high signal-to-noise ratio. The supply lines were inserted into the mixing insert, and then UV18S was wicked into the ports surrounding the supply lines using a piece of glass. Once UV18S reached the desired location, it was rapidly cured using a 365 nm LED light source. Because the insert and capillaries absorbed significant amounts of UV light, the author performed a simultaneous double-sided cure to prevent UV18S from being shadowed out.
To see images, and to learn the results, please download the full case study here.
Download full case studyReference
Katz, A. M. (2018). Sample saving techniques for solution X-ray scattering studies of biological macromolecules. Cornell eCommons. https://hdl.handle.net/1813/59561