Apparatus and method for testing the ability of materials to protect photolabile materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10330596-B1
Application number	US-201815937464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 27, 2018
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

The apparatus and method for testing the ability of materials to protect photolabile materials provides an accurate measurement by directly observing the degradation level in a photolabile material. The apparatus is an assembly having primary and secondary cells and a light source. The primary and secondary cells are arranged in different configurations with respect to one another such that any light that reaches the photolabile materials must first go through the protective material under test. The method includes placing a protective material under test in the primary cell; placing a photolabile material in the secondary cell; subjecting the assembly to a light source for a predetermined amount of time; and removing and testing the photolabile material for degradation.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus for testing the ability of materials to protect photolabile materials, comprising:
at least one primary cell;
at least one secondary cell, wherein the at least one secondary cell is disposed within and is surrounded by the at least one primary cell whereby a gap is provided between the cells, further wherein the at least one secondary cell is substantially of equal height with the at least one primary cell;
a material under test substantially filling the gap between the at least one primary cell and the at least one secondary cell and being at a first level therewithin;
a photolabile material disposed within the at least one secondary cell and being at a lower level than the first level of the material under test; and
a light source for emitting light, wherein the at least one primary cell and the at least one secondary cell being positioned so that substantially all light emitted by the light source entering the at least one secondary cell traverses the at least one primary cell.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one primary cell and the at least one secondary cell are a unitary assembly, the assembly having a bottom, four side walls and at least one separating wall.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the bottom, the four side walls and the separating wall are planar and substantially rectangular, and are all orthogonal to each other.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the at least one primary cell consists of a single primary cell;
the at least one secondary cell consists of a single secondary cell; and
the at least one separating wall consists of a single separating wall.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the at least one primary cell comprises two primary cells;
the at least one secondary cell comprises a single secondary cell; and
the at least one separating wall comprises two separating walls.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one primary cell and the at least one secondary cell are two separate components, each of the components having a closed bottom and four side walls, the closed bottom and the four side walls all being planar and substantially rectangular, and all being orthogonal to each other.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one primary cell consists of a single primary cell;
the at least one secondary cell consists of a single secondary cell; and
the apparatus further comprises a single clip and a band for holding the single primary cell and the single secondary cell together.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one primary cell comprises two primary cells;
the at least one secondary cell consists of a single secondary cell; and
the apparatus further comprises two clips and a band for holding the two primary cells and the single secondary cell together.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the emitted light cannot exit the at least one secondary cell without further traversing the at least one primary cell.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one primary cell consists of a single primary cell.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one secondary cell consists of a single secondary cell.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:
the single primary cell is a first cylindrical tube closed at one end and open at the other end;
the single secondary cell is a second cylindrical tube closed at one end and open at the other end.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the single secondary cell includes projections on an outer surface of a side wall of the single secondary cell maintaining the single secondary cell centrally aligned within the single primary cell and maintaining an equal gap on all sides between an inner wall of the single primary cell and the outer surface of the single secondary cell, defining a sample chamber between the primary cell and the secondary cell.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising a cap having a body, a central projection and a peripheral wall, the central projection fitting inside the open end of the single secondary cell and the peripheral wall covering an outer wall of the single primary cell near the open end of the single primary cell.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:
the single primary cell comprises a planar, substantially square bottom and four planar, substantially rectangular side walls orthogonal to each other; and
the single secondary cell comprises a planar, substantially square bottom and four planar, substantially rectangular side walls orthogonal to each other.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising a cap having a body, a central projection and a peripheral wall, the central projection fitting inside the open end of the single secondary cell and the peripheral wall covering an outer wall of the single primary cell near the open end of the single primary cell.

17. An apparatus for testing the ability of materials to protect photolabile materials, comprising:
at least one primary cell, wherein the at least one primary cell comprises a transparent, planar, substantially rectangular bottom and four planar, substantially rectangular side walls orthogonal to the bottom and to each other;
a plurality of secondary cells, wherein each of the plurality of secondary cells comprises a transparent cylindrical capillary having opposed open ends;
plugs closing each of the opposed open ends of the plurality of secondary cells; and
a light source for emitting light, the primary cell, and the secondary cells being positioned so that substantially all light emitted by the light source entering the secondary cells traverses the at least one primary cell.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising:
a plurality of straight thin wires; and
a plurality of small circular rings of thin wire, each of the small circular rings surrounding one of the secondary cells and each of the straight thin wires extending between one of the plurality of small circular rings of thin wire and inner side walls of the primary cell, thereby keeping the plurality of secondary cells in an upright and spaced position within the primary cell.

19. A method for testing the ability of a protective material to protect a photolabile material, the method comprising the steps of:
providing at least one primary cell;
providing at least one secondary cell, wherein the at least one primary cell surrounds the at least one secondary cell;
placing protective material in the at least one primary cell;
placing photolabile material in the at least one secondary cell;
subjecting the primary and secondary cells to a light source for a predetermined amount of time; and
removing and testing the photolabile material for degradation to determine the ability of the protective material to protect the photolabile material.

Assignees

• Univ King Saud

Inventors

• Alam Mohd Aftab
• Al-Jenoobi Fahad Ibrahim

Classifications

• G01N21/59 Primary

  Transmissivity (G01N21/25 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2021/0307

  Insert part in cell · CPC title

• G01N17/004 Primary

  to light · CPC title