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Updated: Mar 6, 2026
An All-in-one Sample Holder for Macromolecular X-ray Crystallography with Minimal Background Scattering
Published on: July 6, 2019
3D Printed Micrometer-Scale Polymer Mounts for Single Crystal Analysis
Niall P Macdonald1, Grace L Bunton1, Ah Young Park1
1School of Physical Sciences - Chemistry, ‡ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, and §Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS), University of Tasmania , Dobson Road, Sandy Bay, Tasmania 7005, Australia.
Abstract:
3D printed micrometer-scale polymer mounts for single crystal analysis have been prepared by photopolymerization using digital light projection stereolithography (DLP-SLA), with a commercially available digital light projection stereolithography printer (US$4000) and 3DM-ABS resin (US$150 per liter). The polymer mounts were prepared in batches of 49 in 1 h 15 min, which allowed for rapid prototyping and testing of new crystal mounting designs, with a resin cost of 0.2¢ US per mount. The suitability of the 3D printed mounts for single crystal crystallography has been demonstrated through their use in Cu Kα X-ray diffraction experiments of Rochelle salt (sodium potassium tartrate), the protein lysozyme, and has been employed for routine crystallographic analysis of organic and inorganic materials.
