Why Buy the Ossila Glove Box
Glove boxes are important within many areas of research, including photovoltaics, OFETs, OLEDs and batteries research. They provide the inert atmosphere needed to handle air sensitive compounds, and enough space to conduct a range of experiments.
Setting up and running a glove box can be costly, both financially and in time investment. This means it is important for you to understand the benefits and limitations of different systems. If you are looking for a robust, affordable, and easy-to-use glove box, the Ossila Glove Box is the perfect choice for you.
Glove Box Design and Function
An effective glove box should:
- Create a low-oxygen and low-moisture environment for handling air sensitive compounds.
- Offer precise control over internal conditions, with continuous monitoring and automatic maintenance systems.
- Minimize leaks to reduce maintenance costs, ensure user safety, and maintain sample integrity.
There are two types: containment and isolation. Containment glove boxes are designed for handling dangerous or nuclear materials. Isolation glove boxes, like our laboratory glove box, focus on shielding samples from ambient air by maintaining a positive pressure.
The Ossila Glove Box can maintain oxygen levels below 0.5% and relative humidity levels below 0.75%. It also maintains a leak rate of less than 0.25% volume per hour (meeting ISO Class II standards).
Benefits
Our glove box has several benefits over larger, more complex, and more expensive systems.
Low Price
Large glove boxes using regeneration processes are often very expensive. They require substantial investment for the initial set up and typically have high maintenance costs. Our lab glove box is a low-cost alternative to expensive glove box systems. It was designed to lower the barrier to entry for inert atmosphere processing.
Initial Costs
Setting up a lab is expensive. Venturing into a new area of research is expensive. High initial costs often mean large systems are not affordable in new lab or teaching environments.
The Ossila Glove Box uses purging techniques, rather than complex filtration and regeneration systems. With a simple design, it is an affordable system, accessible to researchers with a lower budget.
Running Costs
The cost of filling and purging a large glove box is very high. Supplying the nitrogen alone can be a significant expense. Regenerating large glove boxes requires a huge amount of nitrogen and sacrifices multiple days of lab time. These larger systems usually require a dedicated technician to carry out maintenance.
Designed to be affordable, our laboratory glove box includes features that reduce running costs:
- The small internal volume is less costly to fill and purge than larger systems.
- Ingress free materials, such as steel and glass, reduce the leak rate compared to acrylic glove boxes.
- The automated purging software only purges system with nitrogen when necessary.
Portable Benchtop Design
Our lab glove box is compact and easily incorporated onto most work benches. The small internal volume means it quickly achieves inert conditions and removes contamination. More versatile than larger systems, it is easy to transport and set up.
The expense of large glove boxes usually means one system is shared between multiple researchers. When the workspace is in high demand, this can lead to project delays and limited experimental creativity. Incorporating multiple affordable, compact glove boxes into your lab set up offers greater flexibility.
Automated Software
The in-built software enables control and personalization of the system. With this software, you can:
- Pre-programme the antechamber cycle
- Automate purging
- Pre-programme leak tests
- Time quick purges (to clear contaminants)
- Set up daily mini purges (to keep the system fresh)
You can easily set your desired oxygen, moisture, and pressure levels. Internal conditions are monitored in the main chamber and antechamber using the display screen. This significantly reduces the chance of accidentally flooding the chambers with air.
Easy Set Up
Setting up large, complex glove boxes can take weeks. This disrupts lab activities and can delay projects. On the other hand, installing the Ossila Glove Box is simple. It can be set up in a day and will create a stabilized environment overnight. This means you can get started with your inert atmosphere processing the following day.
Versatile
The quick set up time and low cost of our lab glove box makes it perfect for experimentation and trying new things. With a simple design, the quick set up also means you can reconfigure your system in new locations if needed. Yet, the low investment and small lab footprint means it is possible for you to invest in multiple systems for specific purposes.
Each of these features make the Ossila Glove Box versatile, expanding its potential applications.
Limitations
Our glove box is a low-cost alternative to more intricate and expensive glove boxes. With additional measures and features, sophisticated systems can reach levels as low as 0.1 ppm for oxygen and moisture content. This explains the rigidity and expense of larger glove boxes.
While some applications will require a more complex system, you should consider:
- If you need this level of inertness for your experiment
- If it is worth the investment at this stage of your research
We have shown that you can make efficient perovskite solar cells in our glove box, with negligible difference between these devices and those made in a regenerative glove box. It is also capable of stopping the degradation of extremely sensitive materials, such as rubrene.
Further limitations of our glove box include:
- The small footprint limits its use to one purpose at a time.
- It is not built to be used under extreme high or low pressure.
- It is not suitable for handling extremely dangerous, nuclear, or pyrophoric materials.
Glove Box
