Control and protect your sample design with mounting spacers
The black part symbolizes the spacer, which is enclosed between the microscope slide and the coverglass. It creates a defined chamber for the specimen, ensuring proper thickness, stable alignment, and instant sealing — just as illustrated.
What we mean with mounting spacers?
A mounting spacer is a thin double-sided adhesive layer shaped like a coverglass. You place it directly between the microscope slide and the coverglass — just like shown in the image.
It instantly creates a stable chamber for your sample and provides three key benefits:
Defined thickness
The spacer ensures consistent height between the slide and coverglass, protecting delicate samples from compression.Flat and precise alignment
It keeps the coverglass perfectly level and perpendicular to the microscope objective — crucial for proper imaging.Instant sealing
The adhesive layer locks the coverglass in place right away. No nail polish, no curing time, no mess.
Our AD-SEAL spacers are made from a chemically resistant, inert material that’s fully compatible with common mounting media and helps preserve your samples for long-term imaging.
Want to know more?
Check out our ADVI-EDU article:
Mounting spacers and the problem of cell flattening
Learn how capillary pressure and hardening media contribute to cell deformation.
Or download our cell flattening case study as a PDF
Watch our short video protocol:
How easy it is to use ADVI Mounting Spacers
How to simply choose the right spacer?
Coverglass size and type is the key parameter. Select the spacer shape and size to match your preferred coverglass, then choose the thickness based on your specimen’s height. This ensures a perfect fit, reliable sealing, and optimal imaging every time.
At ADVI, we offer three standard sizes of AD-SEAL spacers to match the most common coverglass formats:
– 22 × 22 mm square with 17 mm inner space
– 18 × 18 mm square with 13.6 mm inner space
– 12 mm round with 7 mm inner space
Each is available in 100 µm (red) or 150 µm (black) thickness.
All AD-SEAL spacers are strongly adhesive and resistant to common solvents such as water, glycerol, ethanol, and isopropanol. After application, they remain stable across a wide temperature range (–40 °C to 120 °C) and are fully compatible with all ADVI mounting media.