Capillary Glass & Filaments

Sutter Instrument Company, in addition to the finest micropipette pullers available, offers a wide selection of high quality capillary glasses in various sizes and materials. Though there are many types and sizes of capillary glass available, we have carefully selected only those that pass our criteria. Our expertise in micropipette technology assures you of precision and high quality.

We offer capillary glass tubing in three different compositions; quartz, borosilicate and aluminosilicate. Each composition has its own unique properties and the selection will be determined by your application and your puller’s capabilities.

Fire Polishing
All borosilicate and aluminosilicate capillary glass offered by Sutter Instrument have fire-polished ends. This process eliminates any sharp edges, making it easier to insert into holders, and does not affect the electrical or mechanical properties of the glass.

Custom Pipettes
Sutter Instrument can make custom pipettes and microtools not commonly available from other pipette manufacturers. For example, we make custom pre-pulled beveled pipettes for microinjection. The custom pipettes are considered non-sterile and are manufactured for research applications and non-human use. Please contact Sutter Instrument for further details.

Sizes
Sutter Instrument capillary tubing is available in a broad range of wall thickness which allows you to select the size necessary for your application. The ratios of inside diameter to outside diameter typically run between 0.5mm and 0.75mm with the lower value being referred to as thick wall tubing and the top of the range as thin wall tubing. All other factors being equal, the thicker wall capillaries produce pipettes with longer tapers and smaller tips which make it more suitable for intracellular microelectrodes. These thicker wall pipettes tend to reduce the noise contributions due to capacitance which makes them more suitable for patch clamp pipettes. Thinner wall tubing allows for larger pore openings which make it ideal for microinjection needles and low resistance microelectrodes.

Filamented Glass - TechNote: What is filamented glass and who needs it?
Filamented glass has a small rod of glass annealed to the inner wall and this rod (filament of glass) creates the capillary action required to back-fill the pipette with solution. If the resulting pipette tip is under 1µl and being used for microinjection or being used for recording, we recommend "filamented-glass". The filament in the glass not only provides capillary action for quick filling of the micropipette, it also helps to reduce the incidence of air bubbles when introducing solution into the pipette.

GLASS COMPOSITION

Borosilicate (CORNING 7740)
The most commonly used glass is borosilicate. Sutter Instrument offers only TYPE I-CLASS A borosilicate as described by ASTM Standard 3.1.2^*. This glass softens at 821 degrees Celsius and, as it is pulled, maintains its ratio of inside diameter to outside diameter over the total taper length. Borosilicate softens at a lower temperature than our other glasses and has a wider working range. These unique properties allow for a greater variety of shapes used in microelectrodes, patch pipettes, microinjection needles and, in the case of solid rod, chromosome dissection tools.

Aluminosilicate (SCHOTT 8252)
Aluminosilicate softens at a higher temperature (935 degrees Celsius) than borosilicate and is workable over a much narrower range. It has a tendency to continuously thin out as it is drawn which allows extremely fine tips with very short tapers. For example, we have pulled aluminosilicate tips in the 20-30 nanometer range with taper lengths of 5-6 mm. Its resistivity is several orders of magnitude higher than borosilicate, thus reducing leakage currents when used in ion-selective micropipettes. Aluminosilicate is harder than borosilicate which results in a pipette that is more suitable for penetrating tough tissues.

Quartz (HERAEUS HSQ300)
The finest and purest glass available is quartz. It is superior to all other glasses in its mechanical, electrical and optical qualities. It has the lowest dielectric constant, the lowest loss factor and the highest volume resistivity making it ideal for patch clamp recording. Its chemical purity virtually eliminates leakage of ions^** and by using quartz in single channel patch clamp recordings the lowest background noise levels have been achieved^***. Due to its high melting point, it cannot be pulled on conventional pullers. However, it can be pulled easily with the Sutter CO₂ laser-based P-2000.

^* ASTM Designation E438-90 - April 1990

^** Zuazaga C., Steinacker A. Patch-clamp recording of ion channels: Interfering effects of patch pipette glass. News in Physiological Sciences: International Union of Physiological Sciences and the American Physiological Society: 5:155-158, August 1990

^*** Rae, James L., Levis Richard A. A Method for exceptionally low noise single channel recordings. Pflügers Archive; European Journal of Physiology:420:618-620, Springer-Verlag 1992

Glass
International prices vary by country. Please contact your local distributor or Sutter Instrument for a quotation.

Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
Thick/Standard Wall Borosilicate Glass With Filament
BF100-50-7.5	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	7.5 cm	225
BF100-50-10	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	10 cm	225
BF100-50-15	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	15 cm	225
BF100-58-10	1.00 mm	0.58 mm	10 cm	250
BF100-58-15	1.00 mm	0.58 mm	15 cm	250
BF120-60-10	1.20 mm	0.60 mm	10 cm	225
BF120-69-7.5	1.20 mm	0.69 mm	7.5 cm	250
BF120-69-10	1.20 mm	0.69 mm	10 cm	250
BF120-69-15	1.20 mm	0.69 mm	15 cm	250
BF150-75-7.5	1.50 mm	0.75 mm	7.5 cm	225
BF150-75-10	1.50 mm	0.75 mm	10 cm	225
BF150-86-7.5	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	7.5 cm	250
BF150-86-10	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	10 cm	250
BF150-86-15	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	15 cm	250
BF200-100-10	2.00 mm	1.00 mm	10 cm	225
BF200-116-10	2.00 mm	1.16 mm	10 cm	250
BF200-116-15	2.00 mm	1.16 mm	15 cm	250

Thick/Standard Wall Borosilicate Glass Without Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
B100-20-10¹	1.00 mm	0.20 mm	10 cm	225
B100-50-10	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	10 cm	225
B100-50-15	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	15 cm	225
B100-58-10	1.00 mm	0.58 mm	10 cm	250
B100-58-15	1.00 mm	0.58 mm	15 cm	250
B114-53-10NP²	1.14 mm	0.53 mm	10 cm	225
B120-69-8	1.20 mm	0.69 mm	8 cm	250
B120-69-10	1.20 mm	0.69 mm	10 cm	250
B120-69-15	1.20 mm	0.69 mm	15 cm	250
B150-86-7.5	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	7.5 cm	250
B150-86-10	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	10 cm	250
B150-86-15	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	15 cm	250
B200-116-10	2.00 mm	1.16 mm	10 cm	250
B200-116-15	2.00 mm	1.16 mm	15 cm	250
¹ The ends are not fire polished. Special order minimum of 2.
² Nanoinjection glass. Ends are not fire-polished.

Heavy Polished Thick/Standard and Thin Walled Borosilicate Glass¹ With Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
BF150-86-7.5HP	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	7.5 cm	250
BF150-86-10HP	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	10 cm	250
BF150-110-7.5HP	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	7.5 cm	225
BF150-110-10HP	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	10 cm	225

Heavy Polished Thick/Standard and Thin Walled Borosilicate Glass¹ Without Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
B100-30-7.5HP	1.00 mm	0.30 mm	7.5 cm	225
B100-50-7.5HP	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	7.5 cm	225
B150-86-7.5HP	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	7.5 cm	250
B150-86-10HP	1.50 mm	0.86 mm	10 cm	250
B150-110-7.5HP	1.50mm	1.10mm	7.5cm	225
B150-110-10HP	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	10 cm	225
¹Useful for added protection of gaskets and wire in headstages.

Thin Wall Borosilicate Glass With Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
BF100-75-10	1.00 mm	0.75 mm	10 cm	225
BF100-78-10	1.00 mm	0.78 mm	10 cm	250
BF100-78-15	1.00 mm	0.78 mm	15 cm	250
BF120-94-8	1.20 mm	0.94 mm	8 cm	250
BF120-94-10	1.20 mm	0.94 mm	10 cm	250
BF120-94-15	1.20 mm	0.94 mm	15 cm	250
BF150-110-7.5	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	7.5 cm	225
BF150-110-10	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	10 cm	225
BF150-117-10	1.50 mm	1.17 mm	10c m	250
BF150-117-15	1.50 mm	1.17 mm	15 cm	100
BF150-120-10	1.50 mm	1.20 mm	10 cm	250
BF165-120-7.5	1.65 mm	1.20 mm	7.5 cm	225
BF165-120-10	1.65 mm	1.20 mm	10 cm	225
BF200-156-10	2.00 mm	1.56 mm	10 cm	250
BF200-156-15	2.00 mm	1.56 mm	15 cm	100

Thin Wall Borosilicate Glass Without Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
B100-75-10	1.00 mm	0.75 mm	10 cm	225
B100-75-15	1.00 mm	0.75 mm	15 cm	225
B120-90-8	1.20 mm	0.90 mm	8 cm	225
B120-90-10	1.20 mm	0.90 mm	10 cm	225
B120-90-15	1.20 mm	0.90 mm	15 cm	225
B150-110-7.5	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	7.5 cm	225
B150-110-10	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	10 cm	225
B150-117-10	1.50 mm	1.17 mm	10 cm	225
B200-156-10	2.00 mm	1.56 mm	10 cm	250
B200-156-15	2.00 mm	1.56 mm	15 cm	100

Multibarrel Borosilicate Glass^* With Filament
Catalog Number	Number of Barrels	Out/Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
2BF100-50-10	2 barrels	1.00/0.50	10 cm	75
2BF100-75-10	2 barrels	1.00/0.75	10 cm	75
2BF150-86-10	2 barrels	1.50/0.86	10 cm	100
2BF150-86-15	2 barrels	1.50/0.86	15 cm	100
3BF100-50-10	3 barrels	1.00/0.50	10 cm	75
3BF100-75-10	3 barrels	1.00/0.75	10 cm	75
3BF120-69-10	3 barrels	1.20/0.69	10 cm	100
3BF120-69-15	3 barrels	1.20/0.69	15 cm	100

Multibarrel Borosilicate Glass^* Without Filament
Catalog Number	Number of Barrels	Out/Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
3B100-75-10	3 barrels	1.00/0.75	10 cm	75
4B100-75-10	4 barrels	1.00/0.75	10 cm	75
* Multibarrel borosilicate requires a custom filament. Please contact Sutter Instrument for more information when ordering.

Quartz Glass With Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
QF100-50-7.5	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	7.5 cm	100
QF100-50-10	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	10 cm	100
QF100-60-7.5	1.00 mm	0.60 mm	7.5 cm	100
QF100-60-10	1.00 mm	0.60 mm	10 cm	100
QF100-70-7.5	1.00 mm	0.70 mm	7.5 cm	100
QF100-70-10	1.00 mm	0.70 mm	10 cm	100
QF100-70-15	1.00 mm	0.70 mm	15 cm	100
QF120-60-7.5	1.20 mm	0.60 mm	7.5 cm	100
QF120-60-10	1.20 mm	0.60 mm	10 cm	100
QF120-90-10	1.20 mm	0.90 mm	10 cm	100
QF150-75-7.5	1.50 mm	0.75 mm	7.5 cm	100
QF150-75-10	1.50 mm	0.75 mm	10 cm	100

Quartz Glass Without Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
Q100-30-7.5	1.00 mm	0.30 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q100-30-15	1.00 mm	0.30 mm	15 cm	100
Q100-50-7.5	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q100-50-10	1.00 mm	0.50 mm	10 cm	100
Q100-70-7.5	1.00 mm	0.70 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q100-70-10	1.00 mm	0.70 mm	10 cm	100
Q114-53-10NP^*	1.14 mm	0.53 mm	10 cm	100
Q120-40-7.5	1.20 mm	0.40 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q120-60-7.5	1.20 mm	0.60 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q120-90-7.5	1.20 mm	0.90 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q120-90-10	1.20 mm	0.90 mm	10 cm	100
Q150-50-7.5	1.50 mm	0.50 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q150-75-7.5	1.50 mm	0.75 mm	7.5 cm	100
Q150-75-10	1.50 mm	0.75 mm	10 cm	100
Q150-110-10	1.50 mm	1.10 mm	10 cm	100
Q165-115-10	1.65 mm	1.15 mm	10 cm	100
^ Nanoinjection glass. The ends are not fire-polished.*

Solid Quartz Rod
Catalog Number	Style	Outside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
QR100-7.5	solid	1.00 mm	7.5 cm	100
QR100-10	solid	1.00 mm	10 cm	100
QR100-15	solid	1.00 mm	15 cm	100

Quartz Theta Glass
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Septum Thickness	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
QT120-90-7.5	1.20/0.9 mm	0.15 mm	7.5 cm	50

Aluminosilicate Glass With Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
AF100-64-10	1.00 mm	0.64 mm	10 cm	100
AF120-77-10	1.20 mm	0.77 mm	10 cm	100
AF120-87-10	1.20 mm	0.87 mm	10 cm	100
AF150-100-10	1.50 mm	1.00 mm	10 cm	100

Aluminosilicate Glass Without Filament
Catalog Number	Outside Diameter	Inside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
A100-64-10	1.00 mm	0.64 mm	10 cm	100
A120-77-10	1.20 mm	0.77 mm	10 cm	100
A120-87-10	1.20 mm	0.87 mm	10 cm	100
A150-100-10	1.50 mm	1.00 mm	10 cm	100

Borosilicate Theta Glass
Catalog Number	O.D/I.D.	Septum Thickness	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
BT-150-10	1.50/1.17 mm	0.165 mm	10 cm	100

Solid Borosilicate Rod
Catalog Number	Style	Outside Diameter	Overall Length	Pieces per Package
BR-100-10	solid	1.00 mm	10 cm	250
BR-100-15	solid	1.00 mm	15 cm	250

Filaments and Accessories
International prices vary by country. Please contact your local distributor or Sutter Instrument for a quotation.

FILAMENTS (Minimum purchase of filaments is 4)
Appropriate filament selection depends on your research application, but a general guideline for filaments is as follows:

Box Filaments - Recommended for small to large diameter borosilicate glass, double barreled, or aluminosilicate glass. Box filaments are particularly suitable for patch pipettes, slice preparations, and for sharp electrodes and microinjection pipettes where gradual parallel walls would aid cell penetration. When using a box filament, the size of the square box should be approximately 1.0mm to 1.5mm larger than the outside diameter of the glass that you will be using.

For IVF and ICSI applications, a 2.5mm x 4.5mm box filament (FB245B) is recommended. For pronuclear injection work, we recommend a 2.5 mm x 2.5 mm box filament (FB255B). Call for more specific advice or to request a combination of settings, filaments, and glass for your application.

Trough Filaments - Excellent general purpose filaments and are recommended for creating longer slice patch pipettes and sharp electrodes. The trough filament is not ideal for making patch pipettes or when using glass over 1.2 mm OD. If very short tapers are required for patch electrodes or for microinjection, a 2.5 mm or 3 mm box filament is recommended.

Custom Filaments - A custom filament can be created if your pipette needs can not be met by one of the standard box or trough filaments. Please call Sutter for details.

Sutter pre-programs the P-97 with a 2.5 mm x 2.5 mm box filament unless an alternative filament is requested.

For either shape of filament (box or trough), increasing the filament width tends to increase the length of the pipette taper. If there are specific questions as to the sizes needed, please call and our technical support staff will guide you in your choice.

Trough filament	Box filament
Loop filament	Nichrome filament

Catalog Number	Description

Box Filaments
FB215B	2.0 mm square box filament, 1.5 mm wide
FB220B	2.0 mm square box filament, 2.0 mm wide
FB230B	2.0 mm square box filament, 3.0 mm wide
FB255B	2.5 mm square box filament, 2.5 mm wide
FB245B¹	2.5 mm square box filament, 4.5 mm wide
FB315B	3.0 mm square box filament, 1.5 mm wide
FB320B	3.0 mm square box filament, 2.0 mm wide
FB330B	3.0 mm square box filament, 3.0 mm wide

Trough Filaments
Catalog Number	Description
FT315B	1.5 mm wide trough filament
FT320B	2.0 mm wide trough filament
FT330B	3.0 mm wide trough filament
FT345B	4.5 mm wide trough filament

Custom Filaments
Catalog Number	Description
FILAMENT	Custom platinum/iridium filament (Phone Sutter for details)

P-30 Filaments
Catalog Number	Description
PF30T15	1.5 mm wide trough filament
PF30T20	2.0 mm wide trough filament
PF30T30	3.0 mm wide trough filament
PF30N²	Nichrome filament – 3 turns (BEFORE SN# P30-680)
PF30N-4²	Nichrome filament – 4 turns (AFTER SN# P30-679)

P-77A Loop Filaments
Catalog Number	Description
(SN# 160 and greater)
FL315A	3.0 mm loop filament, 1.5 mm wide
FL320A	3.0 mm loop filament, 2.0 mm wide
FL325A	3.0 mm loop filament, 2.5 mm wide
(SN# less than 160)
FL315X	3.0 mm loop filament, 1.5 mm wide
FL320X	3.0 mm loop filament, 2.0 mm wide
FL325X	3.0 mm loop filament, 2.5 mm wide

Accessories
Catalog Number	Description
FPS	Fire polishing spacer for P-97, P-87, P-2000 pullers
FS1875	Platinum/iridium sheet, 18 mm x 75 mm x 0.05 mm (0.002 in)
CTS	Ceramic tile for scoring glass
BX10	Pipette storage box - Holds 10 (4 3/4 x 3 5/8 x 3/4 in)
BX20	Pipette storage box - Holds 20 (7 x 3 5/8 x 3/4 in)

¹ For P-87, please contact Sutter
² P-30/N pullers (serial number lower than P-30-680) came with a P30N filament installed. You can now select either the P30N or P30N-4 filament. With the P30N-4 you can 1) use lower heat settings, 2) pull longer tapers (2-3cm) and 3) use aluminosilicate glass. If you need to pull very short tapers, the P30N is recommended.