MUHWA Fluorescent Quartz Cuvette — 5-Sides Clear Fused Quartz Spectroscopy Cell, 10mm Light Path
MUHWA Fluorescent Quartz Cuvette is a high-precision fused quartz spectroscopy cell engineered for fluorescence, UV-Vis absorption, and transmission measurements across the 190–2500 nm wavelength range. Manufactured via a high-temperature integrated molding process, this cuvette eliminates the welding seams and potential leak points found in assembled cuvettes, ensuring uniform optical quality on all five polished faces. The 5-sides-clear design enables both standard transmission measurements and right-angle fluorescence detection — the excitation beam passes through one face while the emitted fluorescence is collected from an adjacent perpendicular face. With a 10mm standard light path, 3.5mL standard volume, and included PTFE stopper cap, this cuvette is compatible with most commercial spectrophotometers and fluorometers, including Shimadzu, Agilent Cary, Thermo Evolution, Hitachi, and PerkinElmer instruments.
Key Features
- 5-Sides Clear Optical Design: All five optical faces (four side windows + bottom) are polished to high transparency, making this cuvette suitable for both absorbance measurements (light passes through two opposing faces) and fluorescence measurements (excitation through one face, emission collected from the adjacent perpendicular face). The 5-side configuration is the standard for right-angle fluorescence spectroscopy.
- Fused Quartz Glass — No Welding Seams: Unlike assembled cuvettes that are glued or welded from separate quartz panels, MUHWA cuvettes are formed through a one-piece high-temperature melting process. This eliminates internal stress, reduces stray light from seam interfaces, and provides uniform chemical resistance throughout the cell — no adhesive joints to degrade in organic solvents.
- Broad Wavelength Range (190–2500 nm): High-purity fused quartz (SiO₂) offers exceptional UV transparency down to 190 nm, significantly outperforming optical glass (which absorbs below ~340 nm). Suitable for UV protein assays (A280), DNA quantification (A260), enzyme kinetics (NADH at 340 nm), and visible/near-IR applications.
- 10mm Standard Light Path: The 10mm path length is the universal standard for spectrophotometric measurements, ensuring compatibility with Beer-Lambert law calculations and established extinction coefficients. Fits all standard 10mm cuvette holders.
- PTFE Stopper Cap: The included chemically inert PTFE (Teflon) cap resists virtually all laboratory solvents — including DMSO, acetonitrile, chloroform, concentrated acids (HCl, HNO₃), and bases (NaOH) — preventing evaporation of volatile samples and protecting against airborne contamination.
- 3.5mL Standard Macro Volume: With external dimensions of 12.5 × 12.5 × 45 mm, this standard-volume cuvette holds approximately 3.5mL when filled to the recommended level, making it ideal for routine spectroscopy workflows that do not require micro-volume or semi-micro cells.
- Corrosion-Resistant Quartz Glass: Quartz exhibits superior chemical durability compared to optical glass and most polymers. Resists prolonged exposure to strong acids (except HF), bases, and organic solvents. Suitable for kinetic assays involving reactive intermediates.
- Reusable & Easy to Clean: Unlike disposable plastic cuvettes, quartz cuvettes can be rinsed with deionized water, ethanol, or mild detergent and reused for thousands of measurements — reducing long-term consumable costs in high-throughput labs.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Specification |
| Material | High-purity fused quartz glass (SiO₂) |
| Optical Faces | 5-sides clear (four side windows + bottom) |
| Light Path | 10 mm |
| Wavelength Range | 190–2500 nm |
| External Dimensions (W×D×H) | 12.5 × 12.5 × 45 mm |
| Internal Width | 10 mm |
| Standard Volume | 3.5 mL |
| Cap Material | PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) |
| Manufacturing Process | High-temperature one-piece integrated molding (no welding seams) |
| Transmission at 200 nm | ≥80% (empty cell) |
| Chemical Resistance | Acids (except HF), bases, alcohols, DMSO, acetonitrile, chloroform, common organics |
| Packaging | 1 cuvette per pack, individually wrapped |
Applications
- Fluorescence Spectroscopy: 5-sides-clear design for right-angle fluorescence measurements — excitation through one face, emission collected from the adjacent face. Suitable for fluorophores including fluorescein, rhodamine, GFP, tryptophan, and quantum dots.
- UV-Vis Absorption Spectroscopy: Broad UV transparency (190–2500 nm) enables protein quantification at A280, nucleic acid quantification at A260/A280 ratio, enzyme kinetics, and concentration determination via Beer-Lambert law.
- DNA/RNA Quantification: Accurate A260 measurement with low background absorbance in the UV range. PTFE cap prevents sample evaporation during replicate readings.
- Protein Analysis: A280 measurements for purified protein quantification, Bradford and BCA colorimetric assays at visible wavelengths, and intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence for conformational studies.
- Enzyme Kinetics: Continuous monitoring of NADH/NADPH at 340 nm in dehydrogenase-coupled assays. Quartz resistance to reactive intermediates ensures no signal drift from cuvette degradation.
- Chemical & Pharmaceutical Analysis: Dissolution testing, impurity profiling, stability-indicating assays. Corrosion-resistant quartz handles aggressive mobile phases and sample matrices without leaching.
- Environmental Monitoring: UV absorbance-based water quality parameters (UV254 for dissolved organic carbon), nitrate/nitrite quantification, and trace metal analysis via chromogenic reagents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why should I use a quartz cuvette instead of a glass or plastic one?
A: Quartz offers superior UV transparency compared to optical glass (which absorbs strongly below ~340 nm) and plastic (which absorbs below ~280 nm and may leach UV-absorbing compounds). For measurements below 340 nm — including nucleic acid quantification (A260), protein A280, and NADH kinetics at 340 nm — quartz is essential for accurate, low-background readings. Quartz is also far more chemically resistant than plastic, making it reusable with aggressive solvents that would etch or cloud disposable cuvettes.
Q: What does "5-sides clear" mean and why does it matter?
A: "5-sides clear" means all four side windows and the bottom face are optically polished to transparency. Standard 2-sides-clear cuvettes only have two opposing faces polished (for absorbance measurements). The 5-side configuration is required for fluorescence spectroscopy, where the excitation beam enters through one face and the emitted fluorescence is detected at 90° from an adjacent face. Without clear adjacent faces, fluorescence signals are severely attenuated. MUHWA's 5-side design supports both absorbance and fluorescence on the same cuvette.
Q: What is the volume of a standard 10mm quartz cuvette?
A: A standard macro cuvette with 10mm light path and external dimensions of 12.5 × 12.5 × 45 mm holds approximately 3.5mL when filled to the recommended level (~60% of full internal height to avoid optical window wetting). The internal width is 10mm and internal base dimensions are approximately 10 × 10 mm. For applications requiring smaller volumes (0.7–1.5 mL), semi-micro or sub-micro cuvettes with reduced internal width are available.
Q: How does the integrated molding process improve performance?
A: Conventional cuvettes are assembled by gluing or heat-welding separate quartz panels, creating seam interfaces that can: (1) scatter light at the boundaries, increasing stray light and baseline noise; (2) trap sample residue that is difficult to clean; and (3) degrade over time when exposed to organic solvents that attack the adhesive. MUHWA's high-temperature one-piece molding fuses the entire cell into a monolithic quartz structure with no internal interfaces — providing uniform optical quality, easier cleaning, and lifetime solvent resistance.
Q: Are quartz cuvettes reusable, and how should I clean them?
A: Yes, quartz cuvettes are designed for repeated use over thousands of measurements. For routine cleaning: rinse 3–5 times with deionized water, then with ethanol or methanol, and air-dry or blot the exterior with lint-free optical tissue. For protein or organic residue: soak in mild detergent solution, rinse thoroughly with DI water, then ethanol. For stubborn deposits: soak in dilute nitric acid (1M) for 30 minutes, then rinse. Never use hydrofluoric acid (HF) — it will etch quartz. Avoid abrasive materials that can scratch optical faces. Always handle by the frosted or non-optical faces to prevent fingerprints on the clear windows.
