Thermally sensitive and elastic materials can be successfully treated by cooling with liquid nitrogen in a process called cryogenic grinding. A laboratory ball mill made especially for this use is called the CryoMill. It has an inbuilt cooling system that uses liquid nitrogen to continuously cool the grinding jar both before and during the grinding process. Because of this, volatile components are maintained, and the sample is embrittled.
An autofill system continuously supplies the liquid nitrogen in the precise quantity needed to maintain the temperature at -196 °C. Because LN2 is never in direct touch with the user, a high level of operating safety is guaranteed. The CryoMill is the best grinder for sample sizes up to 20 ml because of its adaptability (cryogenic, as well as wet and dry grinding at ambient temperature). Highest grinding efficiency is achieved when using a powerful impact ball mill.
