Pharma companies looking for an extra durable, crack resistant vial that keeps its contents completely sterile may have just hit pay dirt. Design and manufacturing company Wheaton has introduced its new ready-sterilize, purpose-built, uniquely barcoded DualFUSION Vial at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry Annual Meeting. This new vial incorporates the most desirable packaging attributes of both plastic and glass, offering an outer shell with mechanical strength to protect against damage or the ability to resist cracking from harsh temperatures ranging from -196oC to 121oC. This vial, the first to combine the benefits of a sturdy plastic outer layer with the high-performance barrier properties of an inner silica layer. Not only durable, the DualFUSION vial protects sample integrity and protects sensitive reagents. It also eliminates permeation of oxygen, water vapor, and various other gasses while protecting against delamination and leaching of metal ions. These vials were manufactured using what’s known as Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) Technology, where a protective organosilicate layer is fused with a silica-like (SiO2 barrier) layer that is, in turn, fused to a Cyclic Olefin Polymer (COP) shell, forming a robust covalently bonded material. Wheaton’s DualFusion vials come ready-to-use and ready-to-sterilize and offer a unique barcode for rapid traceability.
