Name: fabrication of an optical cell dryer for the spectroscopic analysis cells
Uploaded: 2019-01-08T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Fabrication of an Optical Cell Dryer for the Spectroscopic Analysis Cells at JoVE.com

The authors have no acknowledgments.

1. Design
<ol>
	<li>See Figure 1 for details of the development drawing.</li>
	<li>Cut a 3-mm thick acrylic board to 210 mm in width x 60 mm in height x 104 mm in depth, bond with acrylic adhesive and assemble the case.</li>
	<li>Install as many as 30 optical cells of 12.5 x 12.5 mm.</li>
	<li>Attach switches and lamps for starting and stopping and a variable dial for the drying time setting on the front face of the casing.</li>
	<li>See Figure 2 for an extern...

<ol>
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The optical cells can be dried simultaneously with the blowers, and the drying time can be considerably reduced. Even if the stop operation is not executed, it can be safely stopped by using the automatic stop function of the timer. From the measurement results of the drying time distribution, there was no significant difference in drying time because of the difference in the installation position of the optical cells.
A critical step of the protocol is the design of the casing. The challenge ...

Optical cells are used as laboratory instruments in a wide range of fields. In life science research, biomolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins are often utilized for experiments, and spectroscopic methods are widely used for quantitative methods. Accurately quantifying the sample of the experiment is indispensable for obtaining more accurate and reproducible results. The absorption spectrum obtained by a spectrophotometer has often been used for the quantification of biomolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins1,2,3,4. Research on oxidation-reduction characteristics caused by the change in the absorption spectrum and photoluminescence of a carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersed using DNA has also been conducted5,6,7,8,9,10. Optical cells are used for these measurements, but accurate measurements cannot be made unless they are thoroughly washed and dried.
When measuring absorption spectra or photoluminescence, it is impossible to measure precisely in dirty optical cells11,12,13,14,15. Economical disposable optical cells made of polystyrene and poly-methyl-methacrylate are also used to eliminate washing and contamination. However, when precise measurements are required, quartz glasses are often used, because they have extremely excellent optical properties such as light transmittance. In this case, the optical cells are washed after the measurement of the sample and repeatedly used. Usually, after washing optical cells with water or ethanol, they are dried naturally. When rapid drying is required, they are dried one by one by using hair dryers or similar equipment. Cleaning optical cells is one of the most unpleasant and time-consuming procedures in the experiment. As the number of samples increases, the drying time increases, which, in turn, increases the time required to conduct the experiment and research. In past studies, there have been no reports on peripheral devices of optical cells. This study aims to reduce the research time by drying multiple optical cells simultaneously.
We investigated whether other similar products exist. A box-type constant temperature dryer with a temperature control function and a timer function already exists; however, no commercial products with the same configuration can be found.
An outline of the production of this device is described. First, the box-type case is made using an acrylic plate. Nylon netting is attached to the top. A plastic grid is placed on it to fix the optical cell. The control circuit is stored inside the case, and the plastic plate is attached to protect the circuit from water droplets. The control circuit consists of a CPU and is controlled by software. Blowers are attached to the back of the case, and the wind supplied by the blowers enters the optical cells set upside down. The blowers are activated by a switch on the front, and they are automatically stopped by the timer. Depending on the number of optical cells to be dried, two or four blowers can be selected for operation. Water droplets dripping from the optical cells evaporate with the wind from the blowers. The quartz cells are washed with water or ethanol, and the drying time is compared with that of natural drying.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>blower</td>
			<td>ebm-papst</td>
			<td>422JN</td>
			<td>Mulfingen, Germany</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microcomputer</td>
			<td>Atmel Corporation</td>
			<td>ATmega 328 P</td>
			<td>CA, USA</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Blower selection button</td>
			<td>Sengoku Densyo Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>MS-358 (red)</td>
			<td>Tokyo, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Blower operationg lamp</td>
			<td>Akizuki Denshi Tsusho Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>DB-15-T-OR</td>
			<td>Tokyo, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Blower start button</td>
			<td>Sengoku Densyo Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>MS-350M (white)</td>
			<td>Tokyo, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Timer</td>
			<td>Akizuki Denshi Tsusho Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>SH16K4A105L20KC</td>
			<td>Tokyo, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Power supply switch</td>
			<td>Marutsuelec Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>3010-P3C1T1G2C01B02BKBK-EI</td>
			<td>Tokyo, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Power supply lamp</td>
			<td>Akizuki Denshi Tsusho Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>DB-15-T-G</td>
			<td>Tokyo, Japan</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>OLED module</td>
			<td>Akihabara Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td>M096P4W</td>
			<td>Tokyo, Japan</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

fabrication of an optical cell dryer for the spectroscopic analysis cells

Optical cells, which are experimental instruments, are small, square tubes sealed on one side. A sample is placed in this tube, and a measurement is performed with a spectroscope. The materials used for optical cells generally include quartz glass or plastic, but expensive quartz glass is reused by removing substances, other than liquids, to be analyzed that adhere to the interior of the container. In such a case, the optical cells are washed with water or ethanol and dried. Then, the next sample is added and measured. Optical cells are dried naturally or with a manual hairdryer. However, drying takes time, which makes it one of the factors that increase the experiment time. In this study, the objective is to drastically reduce the drying time with a dedicated automatic dryer that can dry multiple optical cells at once. To realize this, a circuit was designed for a microcomputer, and the hardware using it was independently designed and manufactured.

As shown in Table 1, in the case of ethanol washing, the average drying time in natural drying was 426.4 s, and the average drying time in the optical-cell dryer was 106 s. In the case of water washing, the average drying time in natural drying was 1481.4 s, and the average drying time in the optical-cell dryer was 371.6 s. In both cases, the drying time was reduced to approximately one-fourth. The drying time distribution of the optical-cell dryer is shown in <strong cla...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Fabrication of an Optical Cell Dryer for the Spectroscopic Analysis Cells at JoVE.com

Fabrication of an Optical Cell Dryer for the Spectroscopic Analysis Cells

A protocol for fabricating a device for simultaneously drying multiple optical cells is presented.

Optical cells, which are experimental instruments, are small, square tubes sealed on one side. A sample is placed in this tube, and a measurement is ...

The main advantage of this technique is that it reduces the drying time which can shorten the time spent on that experiment. This method could be helpful in the field of spectroscopic analysis, such as when performing infrared absorption, or other luminescence measurements. Experiments can be delayed waiting for optical cells to dry.To reduce drying time design and manufacture a drying device. This device uses three millimeter thick acrylic board to create a case with a partially open top. Machine the board at the front of the case to accommodate the device controls.Similarly, machine the board at the rear to accommodate four blowers for drying, operated in pairs for the left and right side. Support an acrylic lattice above the case in order to hold optical cells in place. Beneath the lattice, attached to the case is nylon netting to support the cells and allow airflow.Inside the case are the electronics. Additional acrylic boards shield them from fluids and redirect airflow. A schematic of the electronics reveals the microcontroller at its core.These connectors on the schematic represent the device controls and indicators. Operation of the completed device is straightforward. Begin by turning the main power switch on.Here are the power switch and power indicator light represented on the schematic. Next, place optical cells in the mesh of the device, concentrating them on one side if not all spaces are required. When done, select either two blower or four blower operation.The panel lights will reflect the choice. In the schematic, the fan controls and indicator lights are clustered on a single connector. When operation starts, a pulse with modulation signal from the microcontroller goes to a transistor, which activates the blowers.The blower output is determined by a preset 10 kilo-ohm variable resistor. Now, set the drying time with an adjustable variable resistor. The selected value is displayed on the OLED.Once the resistance value is selected, the voltage output is converted by the microcomputer. The microcontroller transfers the converted value, via the inter-integrated circuit protocol to an OLED for display. Press the start button to start the fans and the drying process.In the schematic, the start button is on the same connector as the power button. Airflow from the fans helps dry the optical cells that are in the dryer. Prepare to measure the natural drying time.For this, arrange thick absorbent paper on a surface. Get a thoroughly washed, undried, optical cell. Place the optical cell on one part of the paper briefly.Then move it to a dry part of the paper. Start measuring the drying time when the cell is in the second position. To use the optical cell dryer, also arrange thick absorbent paper on a surface.Take a washed cell and place it on the paper briefly. From there, place the optical cell in the dryer at the chosen measurement position. Turn on the power, select all four blowers.Set the time. Then start the dryer. Measure the time in the dryer until the cell is dry.This diagram represents the different positions in the optical cell dryer. The squares along the bottom row are toward the front of the device. The numbers represent the average of three measured drying times.The average over all positions is 106 seconds, versus 426 seconds for natural drying. Using the blowers, optical cells can be dried simultaneously and drying time can be considerably reduced. Drying can be same result with a timer, or especially with par-blower.The measurement of drying time distribution revealed no significant difference in drying time due to the location of the optical cells in the dryer. A critical step is the design of the casing. The challenge is to make the casing compact.It is also important to prevent ethanol or water from dropping into the device. To reduce drying time the wind volume of the blowers can be increased. But a potential problem is that the optical cells may be brought out of the device.Other ways to reduce the drying time include increasing the in depth air temperature of blowers, vibrating cells, or both. However, these are future projects, and involve more complicated devices and controlled circuit.

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