1 | Core determinants
There are four key variables that dictate nitrocellulose membrane selection:
• Sample viscosity
• Desired assay time
• Analyte abundance (sensitivity goal)
• Reader / line‑quality requirements
2 | Viscosity‑first decision matrix
| Sample viscosity band | Typical sample types | Recommended Axiflow grade(s) | Rationale |
| High > 3 cP | Whole blood, viscous nasal/throat swab eluate, sputum, stool slurry | AXC90 or AXC100 | Fast flow offsets slow wetting and keeps run‑time ≤ 10 min |
| Moderate 1–3 cP | Serum, plasma, nasopharyngeal VTM, plant sap extracts | AXC100 or AXC115 | Balanced speed keeps test within 10–12 min, allows better LoD |
| Low < 1 cP | Saliva, buffer‑spiked samples, purified antigen preps | AXC115, AXC130 or AXC160 | Slower flow increases target interaction for low‑titer analytes |
3 | Expanded quick‑select table
| Axiflow grade | Wicking (s/4 cm) | Flow descriptor | Ideal sample types | Sensitivity tier | Typical read‑time | Line intensity |
| AXC90 And AXC100 | 80 – 110 | Very fast | Urine, Whole blood, viscous nasal swab, latex bead agglutination | Good | 3–6 min* (*10 mins for whole blood) | Sharp |
| AXC115 | 100 – 130 | Medium‑fast | Serum, Finger‑stick blood with RBC filter,plant extracts, saliva antigen tests | Very good | 6–15 min | Very sharp |
| AXC130 | 115 – 145 | Medium | Quantitative CRP/hormone markers, fluorescent assays | High | 10–20 min | Very sharp |
| AXC160 | 135 – 195 | Slow / high‑sensitivity | Ultra‑low abundance analytes, veterinary assays | Very high | 15–30 min | Very sharp |
4 | Step‑by‑step selection workflow
1. Categorize your sample matrix using the viscosity bands above
2. Set maximum permitted read‑time (e.g., < 6 min for emergency POCT)
3. Define the limit of detection (LoD) in quantitative terms
4. Check detection modality & line‑width constraints (fluorescent vs. visual)
5. Prototype with at least three production lots to de-risk scale‑up
5 | Axiflow value adds
• Strong tech support for selection of best-suited membranes for your application
• 105 µm membrane on a 100 µm clear PET backing – identical stack height across all grades.
• ≤ 5 s wet‑out on all grades thanks to proprietary surfactant technology
• Custom rolls & sheets – widths 3–330 mm, lengths up to 100 meter
• QC traceability for auditors – lot‑specific wicking histogram, thickness profile, and QC certificate.
Contact our experts today at connect@axiflow.co.in, and we can help you in choosing the best-suited membranes for your application