Cryogenic vials, also referred to as cryovials or cryotubes, are small-volume sealed containers manufactured from materials with documented performance at ultra-low temperatures, typically polypropylene with an operating range from minus 196 to plus 121 degrees Celsius to allow autoclaving before use. They are used to store cell suspensions, tissue homogenates, blood fractions, microbial cultures, sperm samples, and other biological material in volumes typically ranging from 0.5 to 5 millilitres. In IVF and andrology applications, cryovials are the standard format for sperm cryopreservation and for backup storage of embryo biopsy material for preimplantation genetic testing.
Vapour phase storage refers to maintaining biological material in the gas phase above the liquid nitrogen surface within a sealed storage vessel rather than in direct contact with liquid nitrogen. In vapour phase storage systems, the temperature within the sample chamber is maintained between approximately minus 150 and minus 190 degrees Celsius. While slightly warmer than direct liquid immersion, vapour phase storage eliminates the risk of cross-contamination between samples via liquid nitrogen, a consideration increasingly factored into quality management planning in clinical fertility settings.
Implementing vapour phase storage requires a dewar design in which the liquid nitrogen reservoir is physically separated from the sample storage zone, with the vapour generated by the reservoir maintaining the required temperature in the sample chamber without the samples contacting liquid. Continuous temperature monitoring within the vapour phase zone is essential because temperature gradients exist between the vessel neck and the base. Cryolab supplies vapour phase storage dewars and compatible cryogenic vials for long-term biological material preservation at cryolab.co.uk/storage-vessels/.
