The application guide Performance of Low Retention GripTips from INTEGRA demonstrates how these high quality consumables can improve pipetting performance for viscous liquids and low surface tension liquids.

High quality pipettes and correct techniques are essential to ensure reliable and reproducible results. However, the physiochemical properties of the liquid can also have a significant impact on accuracy and precision, particularly at low volumes.

How our low retention pipette tips work

Polypropylene (PP) is the material of choice for most disposable pipette tips, as it repels aqueous liquids, leading to low fluid retention within the tip. However, liquids with a low surface tension – such as oils or solutions containing detergents – or the viscous fluids common in some biological applications can adhere to the inner surface of PP tips.

This ‘wetting’ prevents efficient liquid ejection during dispensing, affecting reproducibility and leading to wastage of precious samples or reagents. INTEGRA’s Low Retention GripTips – designed to work in combination with the company’s range of manual and electronic pipettes – offer an ideal solution to overcome this issue.

For our low retention pipette tips, we use of a unique polypropylene blend with heightened hydrophobic properties. This prevents low surface tension samples from spreading and “wetting” the inner wall of the tips, ensuring optimal liquid recovery and improving experimental results.