MUHWA Silicone Sealing Mats for 8-Well ELISA Strips — 12 Strips/Pack, Reusable
ELISA incubations need a seal. Adhesive films work once and leave residue. These silicone strips press into the wells, stay put during your 37 degree C incubation, and peel off clean when you're ready for the wash step. Twelve strips per pack — one strip per column of 8 wells, 12 columns covers a full 96-well plate. After use, rinse them, autoclave, and put them back in the drawer for tomorrow's run. Non-sterile.
Each strip has 8 molded plugs that seat into standard 8-well ELISA strips. The silicone is soft enough to press in by hand but firm enough that wells don't cross-contaminate during incubation. If you're running a 2-hour primary antibody incubation at 37 degrees C with the plate stacked in a humidified chamber, the strips won't pop out from thermal expansion.
Using Them
After you've loaded your samples, standards, and blanks into the wells, align a strip over each column. Press down along the length of the strip — you'll feel the plugs seat into the wells. Don't press one end all the way down and then the other — work from the center outward to seat evenly. If a strip doesn't fully seat, the wells at that end may evaporate more than the others and your OD values will drift.
During incubation, keep the plate level. The strips are not a liquid-tight seal — if you invert the plate, sample will leak. They prevent evaporation and airborne contamination, not spill containment.
After incubation, peel each strip off starting from one end. The silicone releases cleanly. If a strip feels stuck, don't yank — rock it gently from side to side while lifting. Any residual well rim adhesive from previous film seals can make the silicone grip tighter than expected.
Cleaning and Storage
Post-run: rinse strips in a stream of deionized water to remove any buffer salts or protein residue. For a deeper clean, soak in 0.1M NaOH for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Autoclave at 121 degrees C, 15 psi, 20 minutes. Air dry or pat dry with a lint-free wipe. Store flat in a drawer — don't bend or crease the strips. If they develop a permanent curl from being stored bent, they won't seat flat on the next plate.
Replace when: the plugs lose their spring and don't grip the wells snugly, the silicone develops surface cracks, or you notice OD drift in edge wells vs center wells within the same plate (a sign of uneven sealing). With daily use, a pack typically lasts 3-6 months before you notice wear.
Specs
| |
|---|
| Strips per pack | 12 (covers one 96-well plate) |
| Wells per strip | 8 |
| Material | Silicone |
| Sterility | Non-sterile (autoclave before use if needed) |
| Autoclavable | Yes, 121 degrees C |
| Compatible plate type | Standard 8-well ELISA strips, flat-bottom and U-bottom |
| Reusability | Reusable — replace when plugs lose grip or surface cracks appear |
FAQ
Do these work for PCR plates?
No. These are sized for 8-well ELISA strips — the plug diameter and spacing don't match 96-well PCR plates. For PCR plates, use adhesive PCR film or full-plate silicone mats designed for the 96-well PCR format.
Will my OD values shift compared to adhesive film?
They shouldn't, assuming the strips are seated evenly across all wells. If you see edge effects (outer wells reading higher or lower than inner wells), check that the corner strips are fully pressed down. Edge effects with silicone mats are almost always a seating issue, not a material issue.
Can I use these for overnight 4 degree C incubations?
Yes. The silicone holds its shape at 4 degrees C. For overnight incubations, make sure the plate is placed in a humidified container (wet paper towel in a sealed box) to prevent evaporation through the plate plastic itself — the strips seal the well tops but don't prevent evaporation through the plate walls over 12-plus hours.
Will the silicone absorb detection antibodies or HRP conjugate?
No. Silicone is chemically inert to proteins and enzyme conjugates. If you see signal loss after switching from adhesive film to silicone mats, it's more likely an evaporation or incubation temperature issue than silicone adsorption. Run a side-by-side comparison plate (half film, half silicone) if you need to validate.
