Kapton Capillaries

Kapton capillaries are used for some experiments if they are either very weakly scattering and/or have an important bond length that overlaps with a glass Si-O bond length (1.6-1.7 Angstroms). Most samples that may require Kapton capillaries include: liquids, MOFs, glasses and organics. Your sample must also be chemically compatible with Kapton, if you are expecting or there is potential of chemical reaction, please use glass. If you are unsure, please contact the beamline to discuss your experimental requirements.

Kapton comes in three outer diameters: 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0mm. Solids will typically need 1.0mm, MOFs/glasses and some pharmaceuticals will need 1.5mm, and liquids/organics will need 2.0mm.

Unlike glass capillaries, Kapton will need to be sealed using some kind of glue/epoxy to ensure a good seal. Glues and epoxies can often react with sample, so sometimes introducing an inert barrier between the two (i.e., glue, Plasticine etc.) may be a good choice.