In experimental research in many scientific fields such as biology, chemistry, and medicine, disposable centrifuge tubes, as a commonly used experimental equipment, play a vital role. It is widely used in experimental operations such as cell separation, virus purification, protein precipitation, precipitation separation, and emulsion demulsification, providing researchers with convenient and efficient sample processing methods. However, the material properties of disposable centrifuge tubes have a crucial impact on the reliability of experimental results. Centrifuge tubes of different materials have differences in chemical resistance, transparency, and temperature resistance. These differences may cause sample contamination, experimental errors, and other problems, thereby affecting the accuracy of experimental results. Therefore, it is of great significance to have a deep understanding of the material properties of disposable centrifuge tubes and choose the right material to ensure the reliability of experimental results.

Common materials for disposable centrifuge tubes include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and trifluoroethylene (TFE). Disposable centrifuge tubes made of polypropylene have chemical resistance, can withstand the erosion of a variety of chemical reagents, and are not easy to react chemically with samples, thereby effectively protecting the purity of samples. At the same time, it also has good pressure resistance, can withstand large centrifugal forces during high-speed centrifugation, and ensure the integrity of the centrifuge tube. In addition, the transparency of polypropylene is high, and researchers can clearly observe the state of the sample in the centrifuge tube, which is convenient for experimental operation and result observation.

Disposable centrifuge tubes made of polyethylene have good flexibility, are not easy to break, and are safer and more reliable during experimental operation. It also has a certain tolerance to some specific chemical reagents and can meet the needs of some experiments. However, compared with polypropylene, the chemical resistance and temperature resistance of polyethylene are relatively weak.

Disposable centrifuge tubes made of trifluoroethylene have corrosion resistance and can resist the erosion of strong corrosive chemicals such as strong acids and strong alkalis, and are suitable for some special experimental environments. However, the high cost of this material limits its wide application.

The chemical resistance of disposable centrifuge tubes directly affects the safety of samples during the experiment. If the material of the centrifuge tube is not resistant to a certain chemical reagent, it may cause a chemical reaction between the sample and the centrifuge tube, causing the sample to be contaminated or damaged. For example, when conducting DNA/RNA extraction experiments, if the centrifuge tube material used is not resistant to the organic solvents used in the extraction process, the organic solvent may corrode the centrifuge tube, release harmful substances, and then contaminate the DNA/RNA sample, resulting in reduced purity of the extracted DNA/RNA, affecting the results of subsequent molecular biology experiments. Therefore, choosing a centrifuge tube material with good chemical resistance can effectively protect the sample and ensure the reliability of the experimental results.

The transparency of the centrifuge tube is crucial to the convenience of experimental operation and the accuracy of result observation. Highly transparent centrifuge tubes allow researchers to clearly observe the stratification and precipitation state of the sample during the centrifugation process, making it easier to adjust the experimental parameters in a timely manner. For example, in a cell separation experiment, by observing the distribution of cells in the centrifuge tube, researchers can determine whether the centrifugation speed and time are appropriate, thereby optimizing the experimental conditions. If the centrifuge tube has low transparency, it is difficult for researchers to accurately observe the sample state, which may lead to experimental operation errors and affect the accuracy of the experimental results.

Different experiments may require different temperature conditions, and the temperature resistance of disposable centrifuge tubes determines the experimental temperature range they can adapt to. Centrifuge tubes with good temperature resistance can maintain stable performance in high or low temperature environments without deformation, rupture, and other problems. For example, when conducting some experiments that require high-temperature sterilization, high-temperature resistant centrifuge tubes can withstand high-temperature treatment to ensure the aseptic operation of the experiment. When conducting low-temperature experiments, low-temperature resistant centrifuge tubes can avoid material embrittlement caused by low temperature and ensure the smooth progress of the experiment. If the temperature resistance of the centrifuge tube is insufficient, performance changes may occur at a specific temperature, affecting the reliability of the experimental results.

Although disposable centrifuge tubes of different materials have their own advantages, they also have some defects. Although disposable centrifuge tubes made of polypropylene have good chemical resistance and transparency, they are relatively poor in resistance to organic solvent corrosion. Long-term contact with certain organic solvents may cause the centrifuge tube to deform and rupture. Polyethylene centrifuge tubes have good flexibility, but insufficient heat resistance. They are easy to soften in high temperature environments, affecting the normal use of centrifuge tubes. Trifluoroethylene centrifuge tubes have strong corrosion resistance, but the cost is high, which increases the cost of the experiment. In addition, some low-quality centrifuge tubes may have problems such as uneven material and inconsistent thickness. These problems may cause the centrifuge tube to be unevenly stressed during the centrifugation process and rupture, thereby affecting the reliability of the experimental results.

Selecting disposable centrifuge tubes of suitable materials is crucial to ensuring the reliability of experimental results. When choosing a centrifuge tube, researchers should consider the chemical resistance, transparency, temperature resistance and other factors of the centrifuge tube according to the specific needs of the experiment. If the experiment involves strong corrosive chemicals such as strong acids and strong alkalis, materials with good corrosion resistance should be selected, such as trifluoroethylene or specially treated polypropylene. If the experiment needs to observe the state of the sample, a centrifuge tube with high transparency should be selected to accurately observe the experimental process. For some experiments that require high or low temperature treatment, a centrifuge tube with good temperature resistance should be selected.

In addition, researchers should also pay attention to the quality and specifications of the centrifuge tube. Choose a centrifuge tube with reliable quality and appropriate specifications to ensure that it can meet the requirements of the experiment. Before using the centrifuge tube, carefully check the appearance of the centrifuge tube to check for damage, cracks and other problems. The centrifuge tube should be installed correctly according to the instructions for use of the centrifuge to avoid the rupture of the centrifuge tube due to improper installation.