​ACLAR® film

ACLAR® film: 33C Fluoropolymer Films

A flexible thermoplastic fluoropolymer films with high optical clarity and a smooth surface.

Macrophages selectively adhere to its surface. Lymphocytes do not. ACLAR® films can be cut into discs (from disc size 7.94mm diameter to 25.4mm diameter), as a substrate in standard tissue culture, after washing, can produce an almost pure collection of macrophages. Discs can then be fixed, dehydrated, critical point dried and attached to SEM specimen mount stubs.

ACLAR® film is helpful for HRP studies including LM evaluation, prior to thin sectioning. After processing through HRP, fixation and dehydration series and embedding procedure schedules, one can place a slice of tissue sample with a drop of epoxy resin on a small piece of ACLAR® Film. Place another piece of ACLAR® on top, and press between two pieces of glass slide. Polymerise in the oven. Once polymerised, ACLAR® film peels off easily to reveal a thin plate of embedded tissue which is conveniently examined under the light microscope

References:

"Ultrastructure of HRP -Labelled Neurons: A Comparison of Two Sensitive Techniques." G.M Mawe, J.C. Bresnahan and M.S. Beattie. Brain Research Bulletin, Vol. 10, pp. 551 - 558, 1983.

"Fluoroplastic Coverslip for Long-Term Nerve Tissue Culture. " Edmund B. Masurovsky and Richard P. Bunge. Stain Technology, Vol. 43, No 3, 1968.

Kingsley R. E., Cole N. L. "Preparation of cultured mammalian cells for transmission and scanning electron microscopy using ACLAR FILM ". J. Of Electron Microscopy Technique, 10, pp. 77-85, 1988.

Larue D. T., Wimer J. A. "Postembedding immunocytochemistry of large sections of brain tissue: an improved flat-embedding technique". J. Of Neurosciences Methods", 68, pp125-132, 1996

Stratton C. J., Baguinov Y, Sanders K. M., Ward S. M. "Ultrastructural analysis of the transdifferentiation of smooth muscle to skeletal muscle in the murine esophagus. Cell Tissue Research, 301, p 284, 2000

UltRx 2000 Fluoropolymer Films

ACLAR® is made from fluorinated-chlorinated resins. There are four basic film types–the homopolymer ACLAR® Rx Series, the copolymers ACLAR® 22A and 33C and the new ACLAR® Cx. (Honeywell/Allied Signal). The chemical make-up of all ACLAR® products provide an exceptional moisture barrier. ACLAR® is crystal clear, biochemically inert, highly resistant to most chemicals and sterilisable by heat or radiation. ACLAR® is used widely in pharmaceutical, medical, sensitive electronics and military packaging.

Aclar® UltRx 2000 is a 51µm PCTFE homopolymer, high performance barrier film for the pharmaceutical and medical markets. It thermoforms well on conventional blister packaging equipment and provides the best barrier of any clear film.

Features:

• Crystal clear, high UV transparency– ideal for use in UV curing of embedding resin in microscopy.
• Chemically stable and biochemical\y inert– the product of choice for growing cell cultures.
• Low dielectric constant, high electric strength and dissipation factor– offers excellent cell attachment even through lengthy processing procedures.
• Low surface energy–and separates easily from epoxy.
• Exhibits no detectable autofluorescence– ideal for fluorescent microscopy.
• A non-flammable, non-aging co-polymer– which is suited for sterilisation by heat or UV.
• Crystalline melting point is 206°C – stable in the SEM.
• Flexible and soft– can be sectioned without damage to the ultramicrotome knives.

ACLAR® UltRx 2000 Physical Data Sheet

(These are only typical values and are not to be interpreted as product specifications):