Ultra Low Bleed Silicones for Septa
By choosing ultra low bleed septa from SSP, you can minimize contamination risks and protect the analytical purity of samples.
Platinum-Cured Silicones vs. Peroxide Cured Silicones for Septa
Specialty Silicone Products (SSP) uses platinum-cured silicones to produce septa that are ultra-clean for analytical purity. Compared to peroxide-cured silicones, our platinum-cured elastomers are more inert and less likely to interact with your samples. Platinum-curing is more expensive, but our platinum-cured silicones don’t contain byproducts that cause contamination by leeching or bleeding. Silicone Curing Systems Silicones are formed into solids by curing or cross-linking. The most common curing systems use peroxide or platinum. The peroxide or free radical system is the oldest cross-linking chemistry for silicones but releases byproducts such as volatile organic acids (VOAs). By contrast, the platinum curing or addition system releases no byproducts during processing. SSP only uses silicones that are platinum-cured for the highest purity. Our ultra-clean silicones have lower levels of extractables, chemical compounds that migrate from a material under conditions such as elevated temperature or surface exposure. Compared to peroxide systems, platinum curing also offers greater control over cure rates and crosslinking. Analytically Pure, Medical Grade SSP supplies analytically pure, medical-grade silicone septa. At our manufacturing facility in Ballston Spa, New York (USA), we use state-of-the-art cutting and insertion equipment to create both standard and custom septa. We also bond septa to caps using a proprietary technology that won’t affect the silicone’s analytical properties. To learn more about platinum-curing and why you need platinum-cured silicone septa, please contact us.
Welcome to SSP’s Septa Blog
Specialty Silicone Products (SSP) is pleased to introduce a new online resource for members of the laboratory diagnostic, environmental testing, pharmaceutical, and chemical packaging industries. SSP’s Septa Blog is the place to learn about septa, septum cap assemblies, and cap mats for gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (GC), and other applications that require analytical purity. The initial entries in this new blog will describe the differences between peroxide-cured and platinum-silicones, and the importance of using ultra-low bleed silicones to maintain analytical purity. Subsequent topics will include autosampler septa, GC septa, bonded caps, magnetic caps, EPA/VOA septa, cap mats, and resealable septa. We hope you’ll enjoy the information that we’ll share, and encourage you to contact SSP with questions, comments, and suggested topics for future blog entries.