Wyatt Technology Introduces the Eclipse™ DUALTEC™ at Pittcon 2013

Wyatt Technology, the world leader in absolute macromolecular characterization instrumentation and software, pushes the limits of Field Flow Fractionation by introducing the Eclipse DUALTEC. Showcased at Pittcon 2013, Philadelphia, PA, this is the first commercial Field Flow Fractionation system using the Hollow-Fiber Flow-FFF (HF5) and Asymmetric Flow-FFF (AF4) technique - both integrated into one instrument, affording maximum flexibility in macromolecular and nanoparticle separations.

The DUALTEC is a further development of the already widely used AF4 technique, previously brought to instrumental perfection by Wyatt. AF4 is carried out by means of a flat channel and is used to separate macromolecules of various kinds. The DUALTEC represents a technological breakthrough because it provides the world's first commercial application of the hollow fiber separation technology. The hollow fiber is located in a cartridge and can be applied either as a multiple or as a disposable device. It is precisely this circumstance which paves the way for medical applications of this technology, such as in clinical diagnostics.

HF5 separation represents the optimum Flow-FFF method for low dead volume, high sensitivity, and short analysis time. HF5 is preferred for method development, because it takes minimal sample, time and solvent consumption. The Eclipse HF5 channel cartridge comes ready to use for more than a hundred injections, then it can be replaced by a fresh cartridge within seconds. Downtime is minimized, and there is no membrane to install or cleaning step required.

The Eclipse DUALTEC offers a routine method to complement size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The innovation of the Eclipse DUALTEC makes two different lines of separation available in one system. HF5 can be used on the same samples simply by flipping a software switch. In this way, AF4 is on stand-by as an orthogonal method to SEC, even in automated, unattended operation. The combination of HF5 and SEC is seamless. Two Flow-FFF methods-HF5 vs. AF4 flat channel-can be combined as well, allowing access to two different channel configurations.