Ultramicrotome Knives

Fundamental studies of the polishing process have been combined with the results of years of practical testing, to give rise to the defined process which uses precision polishing wheels to make well characterised, ultra sharp-cutting edges designed specifically for ultramicrotomy.

Range of Products

■ Ultramicrotome Knives
Cutting range: 30 nm to 250 nm. Edge: 45° included angle, 2 or 3 millimetres minimum usable cutting edge. Holder: Anodised aluminium boat supplied in a box designed for easy transport and protection of the cutting edge.
Polished diamond surfaces are usually hydrophobic, which means that when the water level in the trough is lowered the cutting edge de-wets and efficient cutting becomes difficult. Awindiamond ultramicrotome knives are cut and polished in such a way that the surface of the diamond is hydrophilic, thus ensuring complete wettability of the cutting edge at extremely low water levels. This allows the user to use a lower water level when cutting sensitive materials, such as Lowicryl and LR-white.

Complete program of Knives /
AWINDIAMOND ULTRAone (disposable type) /
Ultra thin section of proximal tubules of rat kidney (University Groningen)
■ Cryo Ultramicrotome knives
Cutting range: 30 nm to 250 nm. Edge: 45° included angle, 3 mm minimum usable cutting edge. Holder: High thermal conductivity alloy boat supplied in a box designed for easy transport and protection of the cutting edge.
The cryo-dry knives are especially designed for use in cryo-ultramicrotomes with a working temperature range from - 190° C to ambient. The cryo knife is particularly suitable for the Tokuyasu method.

Cryo ultramicrotome knives /
Cryo-section of human platelet (Tokuyasu Technique)
■ Histology knives
Cutting range: 250 nm to 5 microns. Edge: 45° included angle, 8 mm usable cutting edge (can be used over its full length). Holder: enlarged anodised aluminium boat supplied in a box designed for easy transport and protection of the cutting edge.
Designed for cutting material for light microscopy study. As with all Awindiamond knives for microscopy this product has a hydrophilic surface. A large trough allows large numbers of sections to be parked temporarily in the boat during cutting. The surface is anodised dark blue for better visibility of the sections through the microscope. The histo knife is guaranteed to cut from 0.25 to 5 microns of plastic embedded specimens.

Cleaning Instructions

■ AWINDiamond hydrophilic ultra microtome knives
Diamond is usually hydrophobic. However, the special Awindiamond production method gives the cutting edge a hydrophilic character, a great advantage for ultramicrotome users. Together with the dedicated care and cleaning procedure of Awindiamond knives an excellent quality of your microtomes can be achieved.
■ Cleaning of Awindiamond knives
All hydrophilic materials contacting the surface of the diamond knife during sectioning or immediately after, will adhere more easily than on a hydrophobic knife. In the normal hydrophobic knife all debris, when covered with water, will be repelled from the diamond surface. /
When a series of sections has been made and the operator is ready to pick them up, it is best to make a habit of sectioning the last two sections in blue (200 nm). These two blue sections are more easily removed using an eye-lash and the blue section will also push all debris into the trough rather than leave it stuck on the edge.
Secondly, after cutting the blue sections, fill the trough, up to the normal high water level, as this will facilitate the use of the eye lash and the removal of these sections will be easier. After fishing out the sections for further processing, finish the cleaning by passing a clean edge of the polystyrene stick, soaked in alcohol over the edge.
■ Temporary restoration of hydrophilicity
Any surface which needs a more hydrophilic behaviour can be treated with Decon 90. Mix about one drop of Decon 90 with one litre of de-ionised water. Do not use a higher concentration than one drop per half a litre water. Put the mixture in a squeezy bottle and rinse the entire surface, the back side of the boat and the diamond with it. Blow the knife dry with canned air and store it for future use or fill up and use as usual. If higher concentrations of Decon90® are used all sections will be lost over the edge onto the back of the knife. In case you find it difficult to obtain Decon90®, please notify us by fax and we will supply it to you.