Methods for Purging Bubbles from Cultureware Microfeatures

Abstract

Micro fences that extend laterally between slightly larger fins on the bottom of gas permeable, hydrophobic cultureware can help purge air that may otherwise get trapped between the fins. The low-rise fences may be placed within longitudinal gaps between fins or between the fins themselves. The fins may have rounded or slanted tops, longitudinal slopes, chamfered ends, and/or other surface features to help free bubbles upward or into a peripheral groove that surrounds the bottom of the cultureware. The fins themselves may vary in width along their lengths to form pinch points and create wider regions in order to allow bubbles to find each other and merge. The bottoms of the grooves between the fins may undulate along their lengths to form peaks and valleys where bubbles may gather and release.

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