Gas Dynamic Virtual Nozzle

For Serial Femtosecond Crystallography experiments, a standard injection device is the gas dynamic virtual nozzle (GDVN):

This 3D printed two channel device based on the design developed by J. Knoška, et al, offers a cylindrical jet with a few micrometers diameters. The microscopic jet diameter facilitates stable fast jets at very low liquid flow rates on the order of a few tens of μl/min. This low sample consumption is crucial for scarce protein samples. Furthermore, low flow rates in combination with high He flow rates enable very thin jets which can reach velocities of > 25 m/s, and hence are suitable for X-ray pulses with MHz repetition rates.