An automated pipette puller for fabrication of glass micropipettes
- Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India)
Glass micropipettes are versatile probing tools for performing micro- and nano-manipulation tasks. This paper presents the design and development of an automated pipette puller system for fabrication of glass micropipettes. The pipette puller employs a new strategy for fabrication of micropipettes that enables achieving independent control of their taper, tip diameter, and bend-angle, and also facilitates theoretical derivation of simple, approximate relationships between the pipette shape and the pulling parameters. Subsequently, the design and fabrication of the pipette puller is described, which include that of the pipette heating system, the mechanical motion stages, and the control electronics of the pipette puller. The fabricated pipette puller is experimentally evaluated to demonstrate control of the taper, tip diameter, and the bend-angle of the micropipette. Further, the dependence of the taper and tip diameter on the pulling parameters is evaluated and is shown to be in alignment with the proposed theoretical relationships.
- OSTI ID:
- 22254883
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 85, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Glass capillary optics for making x-ray beams of 0.1 to 50 microns diameter
Synthesis of nanocrystals in KNb(Ge,Si)O{sub 5} glasses and chemical etching of nanocrystallized glass fibers