Centrifuge tube is an important accessory of the high-speed desktop centrifuge

Centrifuge tubes are precision manufactured high-strength glass tubes or plastic tubes. They have a widely range of capacity, from microcentrifuge tubes in microliters used in molecular biology experiments, to small centrifuge tubes in milliliters used in clinical medicine and to liters used in large industrial applications: the large-scale centrifuge tubes.

The centrifuge tubes of high-speed benchtop centrifuges have different materials, and different materials also determine the advantages of different centrifugal technology. Customers need to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of the centrifuge tube materials of the high-speed centrifuge so that they can choose the suitable centrifuge tube and centrifuge .

Centrifuge tubes are mainly made of glass, plastic and stainless steel. Commonly used materials for plastic centrifuge tubes are polyethylene (PE)、polycarbonate (PC)、 polypropylene (PP), etc. Among them, PP tubes have better performance. The advantage of the plastic centrifuge tube is that it’s transparent (or translucent), you can intuitively see the centrifuge situation of the sample, and the hardness is small. The disadvantages are easy deformation, poor corrosion resistance and short service life.
The high-speed benchtop centrifuge adopts stainless steel tubes, which have the advantages of high strength, no deformation, heat resistance, frost resistance, and chemical corrosion resistance. But it also need to avoid contact with corrosive centrifugal solution. Plastic centrifuge tubes usually have caps, which must be tightly closed before centrifugation.

The pipe cover has three functions:
① Support the centrifuge tube and to prevent deformation of the centrifuge tube.
② Prevent the sample in the centrifuge tube from volatilizing.
③Prevent leakage of samples. This is especially important when it with the corrosive centrifugal solutions.
When using high-speed centrifuges or ultra-high-speed centrifuges, it is not recommended to use glass centrifuge tubes. High speed may cause the centrifuge tube to rupture and cause accidents.
Centrifuge tube is an indispensable part of high-speed refrigerated centrifuge. The inappropriate centrifuge tube will directly affect the centrifugal effect.
Now let's take a look at the classification of centrifuge tubes.
According to the capacity, it can be divided into: microcentrifuge tube, small capacity centrifuge tube and large capacity centrifuge tube.
Usually, centrifuge tubes with a capacity greater than 100 mL are called as centrifuge bottles. And the capacity of the centrifuge tube is divided into 1.5ml, 2ml, 5ml, 10ml, 15ml, 50ml, etc. The commonly used specifications are 10ml and 50ml.
According to the bottom shape, it can be divided into: round bottom and pointed bottom, as well as screw cap and plug-in cap.The screw cap centrifuge tube has a fine scale, and the plug cap has only an overall capacity indicator.
Classified by cap: The caps of centrifuge tubes are generally small-capacity centrifuge tubes with caps, while ordinary centrifuge tubes have caps、plug caps and screw caps. Centrifuge tubes with a capacity of more than 50ml are basically screw caps. Generally speaking, the centrifugal tube with the cap has a scale mark on the tube wall; the centrifuge tube with a screw cap has a finer scale; and the cap has only an overall capacity mark.