摘要 |
<p>We describe a thermal cycler comprising a Peltier- type thermoelectric element (36) used for cooling a sample block (34), and a non- Peltier- type heating device (38) for heating the sample block. The cycler also includes a heat sink (28) connected to the Peltier- type element by a heat pipe (40), which permits thermal energy to transfer from the Peltier- type element to the heat sink. This configuration operates more efficiently than conventional thermal cyclers which use Peltier- type elements for heating and cooling, and allows a more rapid cycling time as well as operation in a wider range of ambient temperatures. Certain embodiments utilise the Peltier- type element as a thermal gate to reduce thermal loss during heating when the Peltier- type element is switched off.</p> |