MUHWA 10-Pack Silicone Sealing Mat — Reusable Cap for 96 Square Deep Well Plates, Autoclavable

MUHWA Silicone Sealing Mats for 96 Square Deep Well Plates — Reusable, Autoclavable, and Economical, 10-Pack

MUHWA 10-pack silicone sealing mats provide a dependable, reusable sealing solution for 96 square deep well plates. Each mat is precision-molded from high-grade, platinum-cured silicone to form a tight, individual seal on every square well, effectively preventing evaporation, cross-contamination, and airborne particulate ingress during incubation, shaking, transport, and short- to medium-term storage. The 10-pack format ensures your laboratory always has a clean, ready-to-use mat available — essential for high-throughput workflows in sample preparation, compound storage, cell culture, and nucleic acid/protein workflows. Autoclavable at 121°C for 20 minutes, these mats can be sterilized and reused dozens of times, dramatically reducing single-use adhesive seal consumption, plastic waste, and recurring consumables costs. The pierceable silicone membrane permits needle or pipette tip access for sample retrieval without removing the seal, preserving the sterility and integrity of remaining wells. Chemically inert to common laboratory solvents (DMSO, ethanol, acetonitrile), buffers, and cell culture media — will not leach extractables or adsorb compounds from stored samples.

Key Features

• 10 Mats per Pack — Always Ready — Having ten mats in rotation ensures a clean, sterile mat is always available. While one set of mats is in use, another is being autoclaved, and spares are on the shelf. Economical multi-pack pricing reduces per-mat cost.
• Reusable and Fully Autoclavable — Platinum-cured silicone withstands repeated autoclave sterilization at 121°C, 15 psi for 20 minutes without degradation, hardening, or loss of sealing performance. Reusable dozens of cycles — a fraction of the cost of single-use adhesive seals over time.
• Precision 96-Square-Well Molded Fit — Each square well has a corresponding molded sealing plug that inserts partially into the well opening for a positive mechanical seal — far more secure than flat adhesive films. Eliminates the "edge effect" evaporation pattern common with adhesive seals.
• Chemical Resistance — Inert to DMSO, ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile, aqueous buffers (PBS, Tris, HEPES), cell culture media (DMEM, RPMI), and common laboratory reagents. Will not swell, leach, or adsorb sample components — critical for compound library storage.
• Pierceable Membrane — Each well seal can be pierced with a syringe needle or narrow pipette tip for sample aspiration without removing the entire mat. After needle withdrawal, the silicone self-seals to maintain protection for remaining wells.
• Eliminates Evaporation — The positive-engagement seal reduces evaporative sample loss to <2% per week at 37°C (vs. 10–20% with adhesive films), maintaining consistent sample concentrations during long incubations and storage.
• Cross-Contamination Barrier — Individual well-by-well sealing prevents aerosol and droplet cross-talk between adjacent wells during shaking, vortex mixing, and plate handling — essential for PCR setup and pathogen work.
• Wide Temperature Range — Serviceable from -80°C (frozen storage) to +121°C (autoclave). Remains flexible at freezer temperatures for easy application and removal.

Technical Specifications

Compatible Plate Types

• MUHWA 1.2 mL Square Deep Well Plates — 96-well, U-bottom, polypropylene — ideal for sample storage, compound libraries, and nucleic acid prep.
• MUHWA 2.2 mL Square Deep Well Plates — 96-well, U-bottom, higher volume capacity for bacterial cultures, protein expression, and large-volume storage.
• Third-Party Square Well Plates — Compatible with most ANSI/SLAS standard 96-square-well deep well plates from major manufacturers (Thermo, Corning, Eppendorf, Greiner). Verify well spacing (9 mm pitch) before ordering for non-standard plates.

Applications

• Compound Library Storage — Long-term storage of small-molecule compound libraries dissolved in DMSO. Chemically inert silicone prevents compound adsorption, leaching, or extractable contamination that could compromise high-throughput screening (HTS) results.
• Cell Culture and Bacterial Growth — Sealed deep well blocks for suspension cell culture, bacterial expression cultures, and yeast growth. Pierceable seal enables sterile sampling while maintaining culture integrity for remaining wells.
• Nucleic Acid Extraction and Purification — Seal 96-well plates during magnetic bead-based DNA/RNA extraction, binding, washing, and elution steps. Reusable, autoclavable mats reduce plastic waste in high-throughput genomics workflows.
• Protein Crystallization and Storage — Protect crystallization screening plates from evaporation and dust contamination during weeks-long crystal growth experiments. Vapor-tight seal maintains precise precipitant concentrations.
• PCR and qPCR Setup — Seal master mix and template plates during PCR reaction assembly to prevent aerosol contamination. Individual well sealing prevents cross-talk between positive controls and no-template controls (NTCs).
• Enzymatic Assays — Incubate enzyme reactions with substrates, inhibitors, and cofactors. Pierce wells individually for time-point sampling without disturbing parallel reactions in adjacent wells.
• Sample Archiving — Long-term storage of precious clinical samples, environmental specimens, or reference materials at 4°C, -20°C, or -80°C. Reusable mats provide reliable seal for years of frozen storage.

Silicone Sealing Mats vs. Adhesive Sealing Films — Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can this mat be used for PCR/qPCR thermal cycling?
A: Silicone sealing mats are primarily designed for incubation, shaking, and storage applications. For PCR thermal cycling (temperature ramping from 4°C to 98°C), we recommend optical adhesive films or dedicated PCR plate seals that provide minimal thermal mass and consistent heat transfer. The mat's thermal mass may affect ramp rates in some thermal cyclers. For room-temperature PCR setup sealing, these mats work well.

Q: How do I clean and autoclave the mats?
A: Rinse mats thoroughly with warm water and mild laboratory detergent to remove biological residues. Rinse with distilled or deionized water to remove detergent. Pat dry with a lint-free wipe or air-dry. Place mats in an autoclave pouch or wrap in aluminum foil (sealing surface facing up, not folded). Autoclave at 121°C, 15 psi for 20 minutes (standard gravity cycle). Allow to cool and dry completely before reuse. Do not use dry-heat sterilization (>180°C) — it will degrade the silicone.

Q: Will DMSO or other organic solvents damage the mat?
A: Platinum-cured silicone is highly resistant to DMSO, ethanol, methanol, and acetonitrile. However, prolonged exposure to strong non-polar solvents (hexane, toluene, dichloromethane) may cause slight swelling over hours to days. For typical compound storage in DMSO, the mats are fully compatible. If using aggressive solvents, test on one mat first.

Q: How many times can a mat be reused?
A: With proper care (gentle handling, thorough cleaning, and correct autoclave protocol), mats can be reused 30–50+ times. Signs that a mat should be retired: visible cracks or tears at well plugs, permanent deformation or warping, loss of snug fit (plugs slide in/out too easily), or persistent staining/odor after cleaning.

Q: Does this mat fit 96-well PCR plates (conical/V-bottom) or round-well plates?
A: No. This mat is specifically designed for 96 square deep well plates with flat-top well rims. It will NOT properly seal 96-well PCR plates (conical, low-profile), 96 round-well deep well plates, or 96-well standard profile (0.2–0.3 mL) plates. For round-well deep well plates, use our round-well silicone sealing mats (sold separately).