Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) with Vivaflow® Cassettes and Vivaflow® System
Also known as crossflow filtration, TFF is used to concentrate, buffer exchange and desalt macromolecules such as proteins, viruses, nucleic acids, and nanoparticles. Once exclusive to biopharma, it is increasingly valuable in research labs that handle large sample (feed) volumes.
Sartorius Vivaflow® cassettes make lab scale TFF simpler and more efficient. Reusable and single-use formats combine unique switchback flow paths with a broad range of membranes to deliver fast processing and high recoveries for any molecule, without costly equipment or complex optimization. Vivaflow® SU is also more sustainable, with certified bio-circular material, tailored tubing kits, and paper-rich packaging.
For added efficiency, Vivaflow® System comprises a pump, balance and software to intuitively automate lab scale TFF for research, at an affordable price point. Precise endpoint control prevents over-concentration and maximizes yields, while repeatability is improved through detailed process reports.
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Vivaflow® and Vivaflow® Systems Offer:
Ready to go with the flow. Effortlessly scale up from centrifugal ultrafilters to TFF cassettes, with fast and simple set up right out of the box.
Push your research budget further. Vivaflow® and Vivaflow® System are the ultimate way to run automated lab TFF processes without the cost and complexity of process-oriented consumables and hardware.
TFF with built-in independence. Easily set up and start a TFF process, then hand-off to automation so you can focus on your other experiments.
Put down the calculator. Advanced flow paths and a fixed occlusion restrictor deliver ultra-efficient TFF without tedious process development.
Lossless handling and endpoint control. Combine our widest choice of membranes in any Vivaflow® cassette with the accuracy of Cubis® III, so you never lose your molecule to adsorption or over-concentration again.
Reports out, standardization in. Process settings and results that can be difficult or time consuming to document are recorded automatically for every run by Vivaflow® System, making standardization and repetition easier.
Responsibly designed, sourced and produced. Reduce your research footprint with tubing kits and packaging that are less wasteful and more recyclable, and bio-circular material allocated to the plastic housing of every Vivaflow® SU cassette through the ISCC mass balance approach.
Read the Sustainability Facts Sheet
Learn About the Introduction of ISCC PLUS
Lab TFF and Its Applications
Tangential Flow Filtration Principle
In TFF, a sample flows parallel to the membrane surface in a cassette. A pump provides positive pressure to recirculate the sample between the cassette and a feed reservoir and drive the continuous separation of particles or macromolecules (feed | retentate) from the liquid (permeate) based on size or molecular weight. The constant flow of feed | retentate also generates low shear stresses at the membrane surface to effectively prevent fouling, polarization and blocking.
Need to clarify a secreted protein or virus before TFF?
TFF is an efficient method for concentration and buffer exchange from feed volumes ≥100 mL.
Simplified TFF
When feed volumes exceed the capacity of centrifugal ultrafilters, concentration and buffer exchange can become labour intensive and time consuming. However, TFF based on scale-down process technology is expensive and complicated.
Vivaflow® is the only TFF solution designed specifically for the lab. Its unique design allows for fast and intuitive set up and efficient UF | DF with only a peristaltic pump, eliminating the need to optimize feed flow rates, transmembrane pressures, and filtrate flux. This substantially reduces cost and user effort while ensuring high process speed and maximum target recovery.
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Intuitive Automation
While simple to run manually with the Watson-Marlow pump, the Vivaflow® System - featuring a Cubis® III precision balance and dedicated Vivaflow® QApp – is an intuitive and cost-effective way to automate lab scale TFF. Hardware and consumable set up, as well as TFF process configuration, are deliberately effortless. In just a few taps, your chosen method runs each process step automatically. This frees up time to focus on other experiments, while settings and results are documented to simplify repeat runs and improve reproducibility.
Vivaflow® System hardware and consumables are easy to set up for automated TFF processes.
Convenient Diafiltration
Easy for you and gentle on your sample. The Vivaflow® feed reservoir makes both ultrafiltration and diafiltration extremely convenient. First, a sample is concentrated to the desired final volume. Then a length of tubing is placed into a separate vessel containing the exchange buffer and connected to the reservoir. An airtight seal in the feed reservoir lid allows continuous diafiltration - as the original buffer continues to permeate the ultrafiltration membrane, it is replaced by an equivalent volume of exchange buffer. This reduces buffer consumption and avoids sample dilution.
Continuous diafiltration is quick and easy with the Vivaflow® feed reservoir.
Easy Scale Up
The modular design of Vivaflow® allows two cassettes to be connected in series or parallel. This supports increased throughput for larger feed volumes or increased processing speed for smaller samples. To run Vivaflow® SU in series, simply order a pack of cassettes for serial operation. To run two Vivaflow® 50R | 200 cassettes, tubing kits for parallel operation are available to purchase separately.
Run multiple Vivaflow® cassettes together, to increase throughput or reduce time-to-result.
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Customer Testimonials
Testimonials may be anonymized to respect customer confidentiality.
Good initiative with good benefit."
This is a great example of combining product design, material spec, and packaging development to deliver a strong innovation.
It looks like Sartorius has considered multiple angles in working to make this product more sustainable. Materials, process, package contents, and the packaging itself are all well thought out.
Impressive sustainable claims.
Brilliantly thought-through redesign with strong sustainability gains across materials, packaging, and water use. Would’ve loved to see completed carbon impact figures to round it off.
Shows reduction of plastic dependence on crude oil and fossil sources, which is great to see.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF)
TFF is the acronym for “tangential flow filtration”. It is a common flow configuration in lab scale filters that are used for ultrafiltration and diafiltration processes when samples need to be concentrated, rebuffered, or desalted.
In TFF, also known as crossflow filtration, the feed flows and is recirculated parallel to the membrane surface. In contrast, NFF, or dead-end filtration, directs the feed perpendicular to the membrane in a single pass.
The fluid dynamics at the membrane surface prevent concentration polarization and fouling. This enables higher sample throughput and maximizes target molecule recovery rates. Therefore, TFF is the most efficient configuration for sample concentration and buffer exchange from large feed volumes that would otherwise block a normal flow filter.
Ultrafiltration and diafiltration are process steps used to concentrate and rebuffer samples, whereas TFF describes the most common flow configuration used to carry out these processes.
A TFF cassette is a filter that comprises a flat sheet membrane(s), sealed inside a housing with flow channels for feed, retentate and permeate sample streams.
Choosing Vivaflow® TFF Cassettes
Vivaflow® TFF cassettes are available with the following MWCO | pore size membranes:
- Vivaflow® SU: 3 - 1,000 kDa or 0.2 μm PES, or 2 - 300 kDa Hydrosart® RC
- Vivaflow® 50R: 5 - 100 kDa Hydrosart® RC
- Vivaflow® 200: 3 - 100 kDa or 0.2 μm PES, or 2 – 100 kDa Hydrosart® RC
For more detailed information on membrane availability, please refer to the product datasheets.
Each pack of Vivaflow® SU contains two cassettes, a tubing kit for either individual or serial operation, and a quick start guide.
Each pack of Vivaflow® 50R | 200 contains one cassette, a tubing kit for individual operation, and a quick start guide.
Vivaflow® TFF cassettes are suitable for feed volumes between 0.1 and 5 L.
The recommended feed volume range for Vivaflow® SU and Vivaflow® 50R is up to 0.5 L per cassette, and two cassettes can be run in series or parallel (depending on the chosen model) to double the throughput to 1 L. For feed volumes from up to 2.5 L, Vivaflow® 200 is recommended, and throughput can again be doubled - up to 5 L - by running two cassettes in parallel.
Choose packs of cassettes for individual operation when processing a sample for the first time and | or when the initial sample volume is ≤500 mL. For process volumes up to 1 L, or for increased process speed, choose the packs for serial operation.
No additional consumables are required to run an ultrafiltration process on two cassettes. Simply order a pack of Vivaflow SU for serial operation, and the correct tubing set will be included. For buffer exchange and desalting processes, just add a length of diafiltration tubing to your order.
We recommend the Vivaflow® cassette stand to help keep your workspace tidy and minimize the amount of bench space taken up by the two cassettes.
Complete, plug and play tubing kits are available to purchase separately.
To run two Vivaflow® 50R cassettes in parallel, use order number VF-ATP0011-1. T-connectors are included in this kit to divide the feed stream between the two cassettes, and to combine the retentate streams for return to the feed reservoir.
To run two Vivaflow® 200 cassettes in parallel, use order number VF-ATP0012-1. In this kit, a Y-connector divides the feed stream between the two cassettes, and a T-connector is used to combine the retentate streams for return to the feed reservoir.
The maximum concentration factor is 50-250x, depending on the chosen cassette model and configuration.
Vivaflow® Hardware Requirements
Vivaflow® System is the most convenient way to purchase all hardware needed to run manual or automated TFF processes on Vivaflow® cassettes.
For automated TFF, configure a system that includes a Cubis® III balance. The Vivaflow® QApp is factory licensed and pre-installed on the balance in these packages. For manual TFF, configure a system without a balance. Where applicable, each Vivaflow® System can be configured to include a feed reservoir and/or cassette stand.
Most cassette configurations require the pump head for 1.6 mm WT tubing. The pump head for 2.4 mm WT tubing is only needed when you will run two Vivaflow® 200 cassettes in parallel.
A complete system is the most economical way to start using Vivaflow®. However, if you already run Vivaflow® cassettes with a supported pump or have a compatible balance, only the missing hardware is required to automate your TFF processes. Depending on how many parts you need, simply configure an upgrade kit or purchase one or two standalone items.
Vivaflow® System works best with Vivaflow® SU or Vivaflow® cassettes, since the software accounts for their unique flow path volumes to accurately achieve the required process endpoints.
With other consumables, endpoint accuracy may be reduced and running within the recommended operating conditions might not be achievable.
While any vessel could be used to contain your feed sample, the dedicated feed reservoir is recommended to provide the most secure tubing connections, and to ensure sample integrity and process efficiency for buffer exchange or desalting applications. When diafiltration is automated by Vivaflow® System, the feed reservoir is essential for the constant volume (continuous) diafiltration strategy that is used.
The optional stand provides a stable base in which to hold Vivaflow® SU cassettes, keeping your workspace tidy and minimizing the footprint of your TFF setup.
Running TFF Processes with Vivaflow®
Quick start guides are provided in the product packaging and the full instruction manuals can be downloaded from this product page or in the Sartorius eShop.
Vivaflow® TFF cassettes are compatible with many common aqueous buffers and selected solvents. For further information, please refer to the relevant instruction manual.
For laboratory dedicated TFF, Vivaflow® SU offers the broadest choice of membrane materials and MWCOs. This already helps to ensure high recoveries of virtually any molecule.
Manual TFF processes have an increased risk of over-concentration that can lead to target aggregation or degradation. This is prevented in automated processes run by Vivaflow® System, which uses a combination of precise pump control, best-in-class measurements and real-time calculations to stop the pump when the required endpoint has been reached.
In addition, it is normal to finish TFF processes with a low volume buffer flush through the entire flow path. With Vivaflow®, this provides yields up to 98% or more, relative to the feed sample.
No. Vivaflow® SU is intended for single use and is not compatible with typical cleaning agents.
Reusability can vary from sample to sample, but these cassettes only need to be used about three times to benefit from lower operating costs.
We recommend replacing Vivaflow® 50R | 200 cassettes when performance declines or after a maximum of five runs, and always before the expiry date printed on the packaging label. Separate cassettes should be used for each target molecule or sample batch to eliminate the risk of carryover.
Wear to peristaltic pump tubing is expected with normal use and carryover from previous runs can lead to experimental failures. Therefore, we recommend replacing the supplied tubing with a new tubing kit for the second and any subsequent runs.
