title: A novel experimental approach to investigate radiolysis processes in liquid samples using collimated radiation sources.
abstract: Here is detailed a novel and low-cost experimental method for high-throughput automated fluid sample irradiation. The sample is delivered via syringe pump to a nozzle, where it is expressed in the form of a hanging droplet into the path of a beam of ionising radiation. The dose delivery is controlled by an upstream lead shutter, which allows the beam to reach the droplet for a user defined period of time. The droplet is then further expressed after irradiation until it falls into one well of a standard microplate. The entire system is automated and can be operated remotely using software designed in-house, allowing for use in environments deemed unsafe for the user (synchrotron beamlines, for example). Depending on the number of wells in the microplate, several droplets can be irradiated before any human interaction is necessary, and the user may choose up to 10 samples per microplate using an array of identical syringe pumps, the design of which is described here. The nozzles consistently produce droplets of 25.1 ± 0.5 μl.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Polin
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wardlow
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McQuaid
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orr
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Balder
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Villagomez-Bernabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Shajeth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srigengan
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brun
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gilles
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sicard-Roselli
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Centre for Plasma Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Fred J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Currell
mesh_terms: D057205:Automation, Laboratory / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D055616:Microtechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D012984:Software; D014965:X-Rays