A nuclepore filter (brand name Nuclepore from Whatman, part of GE Healthcare) is a kind of
filter
Filter, filtering or filters may refer to:
Science and technology
Computing
* Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming
* Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream
* Filter (video), a software component tha ...
in which holes a few
micrometre
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
s in size have been created in a
plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
(e.g.
polycarbonate
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
)
membrane
A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. B ...
. These filters are generally created by exposing the membrane to
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
that weakens the plastic and creates specific areas that can be removed by dousing the membrane in
acid
In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...
(or other chemicals). The technique
[R. L. Fleischer, P. Buford Price, and Robert M. Walker (1975) ''Nuclear Tracks in Solids'' (U. California Press, Berkeley).] and patent were developed by Robert L. Fleischer,
P. Buford Price, and
Robert M. Walker
Robert Michael "Mike" Walker (born September 14, 1948) is the former United States Under Secretary of the Army (1997-1998).
Biography
Walker was born in Martin, Tennessee, in 1948. He attended Westview High School (Tennessee), Martin High Schoo ...
as an outgrowth of their research on radiation effects in solids, with a special focus on
materials
Material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geologic ...
exposed to energetic particles in space. The technique allows for creating uniform holes of any desired diameter to allow even a virus to be filtered.
The most common use of Nuclepore filters is in
microbiology
Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...
where they are used to trap
cell
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
Cell may also refer to:
Locations
* Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...
s while removing all other fluids and smaller particles, e.g. for counting
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
by
fluorescence microscopy
A fluorescence microscope is an optical microscope that uses fluorescence instead of, or in addition to, scattering, reflection, and attenuation or absorption, to study the properties of organic or inorganic substances. "Fluorescence microscop ...
. Because the filters have a flat surface, the cells are trapped on top of the filter and remain visible, unlike other types of filters where the cells may be trapped inside the filter.
See also
*
Ion track
Ion tracks are damage-trails created by swift heavy ions penetrating through solids, which may be sufficiently-contiguous for chemical etching in a variety of crystalline, glassy, and/or polymeric solids. They are associated with cylindrical d ...
.
Footnotes
Filters
Membrane technology
{{technology-stub