Vacu-Cell^TM Parylene-C Coatings

Parylene-C

All our Vacu-Cell^TM perfusion and incubation chambers that are made of black anodized aluminum are now also coated with Parylene-C.  The Parylene coating renders the chamber bio-compatible by isolating the chamber from your cells and perfusion media.  Parylene-C is a polymer of para-monochloro-para-xylylene.

Aluminum is the material of choice for fabricating perfusion chambers because it is a good heat conductor.  It allows the temperature of these chambers to be uniform and easily controlled.  It is well known to biologists, however, that aluminum metal is toxic to cells since free aluminum will slowly leach from the metal surface into the media.  To avoid this problem, we also offer some Vacu-Cell^TM chambers made of stainless steel.  Unfortunately, stainless steel does not conduct heat well.  Coating of the aluminum chambers with Parylene solves both problems.  Parylene-coated chambers are bio-compatible and exhibit high heat conductivity.

The Parylene coating on the chamber is made to a uniform thickness of 0.5 mil (~12 microns).  This organic polymer coating makes the surface hard and completely bio-compatible.  It also exhibits a very low permeability to gasses. 

Here is a listing of a few properties of Parylene.  If you need further information about our Parylene coating, please contact us.

• Parylene coatings are completely conformal, have a uniform thickness and are pinhole free. This is achieved by a unique vapor deposition polymerization process in which the coating is formed from a gaseous monomer without and intermediate liquid stage. As a result, component configurations with sharp edges, points, flat surfaces, crevices or exposed internal surfaces are coated uniformly without voids.
• The coating provides an excellent barrier that exhibits a very low permeability to moisture and gases.
• The coating has excellent excellent mechanical properties, including high tensile strength and true conformality.
• It is stable over a wide temperature range (-200 'C to +200 'C), allowing the chamber to be autoclaved.

Categories

We offer Vacu-Cell^TM  chambers in three different series to suite various perfusion and microscopy requirements.  Several chambers can be used for either standard or inverted microscopes.

Follow these links to pages that describe the various chambers available in these three series, and the accessories used with the chambers.

• Round Vacu-Cell Configurations
  • Laminar Flow Round
  • Center Perfusion Round
  • Open Top Round
• Rectangular Vacu-Cell Configurations
  • Large Window Rectangular
  • Thin Window Rectangular
  • 24 Well Microtitre
  • Laminar flow for 1x3 slides
• Mini Vacu-Cell Configurations
  • Large Window Mini
  • Thin Window Mini
  • Open Top Mini
• Vacuum Pump System
• Temperature Controller
• Product Literature

Vacuum System

Vacuum Pump System (Model VCS-1)

We also offer a Vacuum Pump system for use with these perfusion chambers. The pump draws a vacuum of approximately -20 inches Hg and it fitted with a Luer-lock port for easy connectivity to standard tubing systems.  The Model VCS-1 vacuum pump assembly is approximately 8.4 (width) x 8.0 (depth) x 5.8 (height) inches in size.  These perfusion chambers also work well with other standard laboratory vacuum supplies.

Pricing Information

Temperature Controller

Temperature Controller (Model TC-30)

We provide a temperature controller designed to regulate the temperature of our Vacu-Cell^TM chambers.  The controller has several features designed for precise, noise-free temperature control.

Literature

Download our complete Vacu-Cell^TM product line specification literature (PDF format).  A current price list is also available.