PP reagent bottle, HDPE reagent bottle, how to choose?

PP reagent bottle, HDPE reagent bottle, how to choose?

A.Polypropylene (PP)
B.High-density Polyethylene (HDPE)

PP and HDPE are common raw materials for the production of plastic reagent bottles. So, what are the differences in performance between these two commonly used raw materials for reagent bottles? Let's make a comparison from the following 5 points.

1.Withstand temperature

The embrittlement temperature of HDPE is -100 °C, while the embrittlement temperature of PP is 0 °C. Therefore, the reagent bottle made of HDPE is more suitable for low temperature storage, such as for storing 2-8°C Buffer and -20°C enzyme in diagnostic reagents.

PP material can withstand 121 ℃, so PP material reagent bottle is more suitable for products that need to be used at high temperature.

2. Chemical resistance

Reagent bottles made of HDPE and PP are both resistant to acid and alkali at room temperature, but HDPE is superior to PP in terms of oxidation resistance, so HDPE bottles are suitable for storing oxidative materials;

Polypropylene may be softened and swelled by low molecular weight aliphatic, aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Therefore, HDPE bottles are more suitable for storing organic solvents such as n-hexane, benzene rings and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

3. Toughness and impact resistance

Polypropylene (PP) has excellent bending fatigue resistance, but poor impact resistance at low temperature, so PP reagent bottles are not suitable for low temperature storage. In terms of drop resistance, HDPE reagent bottles are much better than PP reagent bottles.

4. Transparency

Compared with HDPE bottles, PP bottles are more transparent, making it easier to observe the state of the materials in the bottle. Please note that most of the very clear PP bottles currently have clarifiers added, so choose carefully.

5.Sterilization method

In terms of sterilization methods, the same point is that both PP reagent bottles and HDPE reagent bottles can be sterilized with EO, sterilized with disinfectant, and sterilized by irradiation. However, it should be noted that PP must be resistant to radiation, otherwise it will turn yellow.

The difference is that PP can be sterilized at high temperature and high pressure, while HDPE cannot.

To sum up, the physical properties of chemical reagents should be considered when selecting reagent bottles made of PP or HDPE.