Microspheres (also called latex beads or latex particles) are spherical particles in the colloidal size range that are formed from an amorphous polymer such as polystyrene. Because of the way that the polystyrene chains arrange themselves in the bead, the surface is very hydrophobic in character, making these ideal materials for the adsorption of materials such as proteins.

This aldehyde/sulfate latex contains an abundance of aldehyde groups grafted to the surface of the polymer particle. The high density of aldehyde groups enables facile coupling of proteins and other materials to the latex particles in a one-step process. The sulfate charge groups on the microspheres enable retention of stability during the covalent coupling process. Due to the high density of polar groups, this latex has a hydrophilic surface.

Microspheres Are Available in Many Sizes and Surface Functionalities

• 25 sizes to choose from—0.02 microns to 16 microns
• 20 different surface—for ready conjugation to virtually any material
• Surfactant free—ultraclean
• Various quantities—from milliliter to 500-liter amounts

Key Applications of Microspheres

• Instrument calibration (flow cytometry, microscopy, HTS, HCS)
• Flow testing (microfluidics, blood flow, water flow, and air flow)
• Cell biology tracers (cell differentiation and cell tracing)
• Immunoassays (agglutination tests, ELISA, particle capture, and contrast reagents)