Laboratory Construction: Building a Core Base for Research and Innovation

In today's era of rapid technological development, laboratories serve as important venues for scientific research, technological innovation, and talent cultivation, making their construction significance self-evident. A well-equipped, reasonably laid out, advanced, and scientifically managed laboratory can provide solid support for various research projects, greatly promoting the development of disciplines and social progress. However, there are many key considerations that need to be carefully addressed during the laboratory construction process.

1. Planning and Design: The Foundation of Laboratory Construction

The primary step in laboratory construction is scientific and reasonable planning and design. This requires comprehensive consideration of various factors, including the laboratory's purpose, research direction, expected number of personnel, and future development plans. When planning, the following points should be noted:

• Clarity of Functional Zones: For example, in a university chemistry laboratory, different experimental areas should be designated based on the types of chemistry experiments, such as organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and analytical chemistry, ensuring that each area is relatively independent yet can collaborate with each other to avoid cross-contamination and interference during experiments. Reasonable partitions or buffer zones should be set between different functional areas to prevent adverse effects from airflow, personnel movement, and other factors on experiments.
• Rational Space Utilization: The layout of workbenches, fume hoods, reagent racks, and other facilities should be reasonably planned to ensure convenience and efficiency in experimental operations. Sufficient passageways and public areas should also be reserved in the spatial planning, with passage widths generally not less than 1.5 meters to meet the needs of personnel movement, equipment transportation, and emergency evacuation. Additionally, the placement of large instruments should be considered to ensure there is enough space around them for maintenance, connection of auxiliary devices, and placement of supporting sample processing areas.

Laboratory Layout

2. Infrastructure Construction: Ensuring Stable Operation of the Laboratory

Infrastructure is the basic guarantee for the normal operation of the laboratory. In terms of building structure, the laboratory's floor, walls, and ceiling should have good load-bearing capacity, waterproofing, corrosion resistance, and fire resistance. Attention should be paid to the following:

• Selection of Floor Materials: The floor materials should be able to withstand the weight of large instruments, generally requiring a load-bearing capacity of over 500 kilograms per square meter, while also being easy to clean and maintain. For laboratories with special requirements, such as electrostatic protection laboratories, the floor should have anti-static functions, with surface resistance controlled within a specific range.
• Wall and Ceiling Materials: The walls and ceiling should use fireproof, moisture-proof, and dust-resistant materials. In areas with chemical corrosion risks, walls should be protected with corrosion-resistant coatings or panels, and the ceiling design should facilitate the installation and maintenance of ventilation ducts, lighting equipment, etc., while ensuring good sealing to prevent dust and harmful gas accumulation.

The ventilation system is a key part of the laboratory's infrastructure, especially for laboratories involving toxic and harmful gases or volatile reagents. Efficient ventilation can timely remove harmful gases, ensuring the health and safety of laboratory personnel. The design of fume hoods should meet relevant standards, with good exhaust effects and airflow adjustment functions, maintaining wind speeds between 0.5 meters per second and 0.7 meters per second to effectively capture harmful gases. Additionally, the materials of ventilation ducts should be corrosion-resistant and high-temperature resistant, and the layout should be reasonable to avoid dead corners and airflow short circuits.

The electrical system of the laboratory should not be overlooked. It is essential to reasonably plan the power supply lines based on the electrical needs of instruments and equipment, equipping distribution boxes and voltage stabilizers with sufficient capacity to ensure stable and reliable power supply. Attention should be paid to the following:

• Line Layout: Strong and weak electrical lines should be laid separately to avoid electromagnetic interference. Lines should be protected with flame-retardant materials and clearly marked for easy maintenance and repair.
• Grounding Protection: A complete grounding protection device should also be set up, with grounding resistance less than 4 ohms to prevent safety accidents caused by electrical faults. For instruments sensitive to static electricity, such as electron microscopes, a separate static grounding system should be established to ensure normal operation.

3. Procurement and Configuration of Instruments and Equipment: Enhancing the Laboratory's Research Strength

Advanced instruments and equipment are core elements for conducting high-level scientific research in laboratories. When procuring instruments and equipment, it is essential to closely align with the laboratory's research direction and experimental needs, conducting thorough market research and technical evaluations. The following aspects should be noted:

• Performance and Demand Matching: On one hand, attention should be paid to the performance indicators of instruments and equipment, such as accuracy, resolution, and sensitivity, to ensure they meet the technical requirements of experiments; however, one should not blindly pursue excessively high performance parameters and should choose based on actual research and budget conditions. For example, in a conventional chemical analysis laboratory, a moderately accurate analytical balance is sufficient for general content determination experiments, without the need to purchase an ultra-high precision but expensive research-grade balance.
• Reliability and After-Sales: On the other hand, the reliability, stability, and quality of after-sales service of the equipment should also be considered to reduce the failure rate and maintenance costs of the equipment, ensuring the continuity of experiments. The procurement contract should clearly specify the warranty period, maintenance response time, and maintenance cost responsibilities, prioritizing suppliers or brands with a complete after-sales service network in the local area. For example, in a biomedical laboratory, high-precision microscopes, PCR instruments, flow cytometers, and other equipment are essential tools for conducting cell biology and molecular biology research, and the quality and performance of these instruments directly affect the accuracy and reliability of experimental results. Therefore, detailed comparative testing and user research on different brands and models should be conducted during procurement.

In addition to large precision instruments, laboratories also need to be equipped with various conventional experimental equipment and tools, such as centrifuges, balances, pipettes, and heating stirrers, to meet the needs of daily experimental operations. At the same time, a comprehensive instrument and equipment management system should be established to standardize the management of procurement, acceptance, use, maintenance, and disposal of equipment, improving the efficiency and lifespan of instruments and equipment. For example, the usage records of instruments and equipment should detail the user, usage time, experimental content, and equipment status to facilitate tracing and analyzing the causes of equipment failures.

4. Experimental Environment Control: Ensuring the Accuracy of Experimental Results

The experimental environment has a crucial impact on experimental results, especially in some fields with strict environmental requirements, such as microbiology and electron microscopy technology. For microbiology laboratories, it is essential to strictly control indoor temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and microbial counts by installing air conditioning systems, air purification devices, and ultraviolet disinfection devices to create suitable environmental conditions for microbial growth and experimental operations. Attention should be paid to the following:

• Temperature and Humidity Control Precision: The temperature should generally be controlled at 22°C ± 2°C, and humidity should be controlled at 50% ± 10% to ensure the stability of microbial culture and the repeatability of experimental results.
• Cleanliness level: Different levels of microbiological laboratories have different requirements for cleanliness. For example, a general microbiological limit testing laboratory only needs to reach a cleanliness level of 10,000, while a sterile operating room requires a cleanliness level of 100. The air purification system should be reasonably designed and maintained according to experimental needs, with regular testing and replacement of high-efficiency filters.

In an electron microscope laboratory, to avoid external electromagnetic interference affecting the imaging quality of the microscope, the laboratory needs to be electromagnetically shielded while maintaining stable indoor temperature and humidity to prevent environmental factors from degrading or causing failure in instrument performance. Generally, the temperature in an electron microscope laboratory should be controlled at 20°C ± 1°C, and humidity should be controlled at 40% ± 5%. The electromagnetic shielding effectiveness should meet certain standards, such as not being less than 60 decibels within a specific frequency range. Additionally, the laboratory's lighting system should meet the requirements for experimental operations, providing sufficient, uniform, and glare-free lighting to ensure that experimenters can clearly observe experimental phenomena and operate instruments. The illumination level should generally be above 300 lux.

Electron microscope laboratory

V. Safety protection system construction: Protecting the life and property safety of the laboratory

Laboratory safety is of utmost importance during the construction and operation of the laboratory. The safety protection system covers multiple aspects, including fire safety, chemical safety, biological safety, and radiation safety. In terms of fire safety, the laboratory should be equipped with complete fire-fighting facilities and equipment, such as fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, and fire alarm systems, and conduct regular fire drills and inspections to ensure the fire-fighting facilities are intact and effective. Note:

• Fire-fighting facility layout: Fire extinguishers should be placed in obvious and easily accessible locations, with at least two fire extinguishers in each experimental area. The type of extinguishers should be selected based on the potential fire risks in the laboratory. For areas with electrical fire risks, carbon dioxide extinguishers or dry powder extinguishers should be provided.
• Evacuation route signage: Evacuation routes should remain unobstructed, with clear evacuation indication signs and emergency lighting equipment. The brightness of emergency lighting should meet the requirements for personnel evacuation, and it should provide continuous lighting for at least 30 minutes in case of a power outage.

For chemical laboratories, a strict chemical management system should be established to oversee the entire process of chemical procurement, storage, use, and waste disposal. Hazardous chemicals should be stored in specialized explosion-proof, fire-proof, and theft-proof cabinets, and classified and labeled according to regulations. Experimenters must strictly follow operating procedures when using chemicals and wear appropriate personal protective equipment, such as safety goggles, gloves, and protective clothing. Note:

• Chemical storage conditions: For volatile, flammable, and explosive chemicals, storage cabinets should have ventilation, cooling, and spark prevention functions, and the storage environment's temperature and humidity should be controlled within specified ranges. For example, strong oxidizers like nitric acid should be stored separately from flammable organic materials to avoid violent reactions that could lead to danger.
• Waste disposal: Chemical waste should be collected and classified according to its nature and handed over to qualified professional institutions for disposal. Random dumping or discharge is strictly prohibited to prevent environmental pollution.

In biological safety laboratories, different levels of biological safety protection areas should be designated based on the biological hazard levels involved in the experiments, equipped with corresponding biological safety cabinets, autoclaves, and other protective equipment. Experimenters must undergo professional biological safety training to master biological safety operating norms and protective skills to prevent the leakage and spread of biological pathogens. Note:

• Biological safety cabinet selection: Different levels of biological safety experiments should use appropriate types of biological safety cabinets. For level 1 biological safety experiments, a regular fume hood can be used; for level 2 biological safety experiments, A2 or B2 type biological safety cabinets should be used; and for level 3 biological safety experiments, higher-level full exhaust biological safety cabinets are required. Biological safety cabinets should be regularly tested and maintained to ensure their filtration efficiency and airflow stability meet requirements.
• Personnel protection requirements: Experimenters should wear protective clothing, masks, gloves, and other protective gear before entering the biological safety laboratory. Upon leaving, they should disinfect and remove protective equipment according to regulations to avoid bringing biological contaminants out of the laboratory.

For laboratories involving radiation sources, such as X-ray diffraction laboratories and radioactive isotope laboratories, strict radiation protection measures should be taken, including setting up radiation shielding facilities, installing radiation monitoring equipment, and regulating the use and storage of radiation sources to ensure that experimenters and the surrounding environment are protected from radiation hazards. Note:

• Shielding design: Radiation shielding facilities should be designed based on the type, energy, and intensity of the radiation source. The thickness and density of the shielding materials should meet shielding requirements. For example, lead plates can be used for X-ray shielding, and the shielding structure should have no leakage points to ensure that radiation leakage doses are within safe limits.
• Monitoring and warning: Radiation monitoring equipment should continuously monitor the radiation levels in the laboratory. When the radiation dose exceeds the set threshold, it should trigger an alarm. Additionally, clear radiation warning signs should be placed at the laboratory entrance to restrict access to unauthorized personnel.

VI. Information technology construction: Supporting laboratory management and scientific research innovation

With the rapid development of information technology, the construction of laboratory information systems has become an important means to enhance laboratory management levels and research efficiency. By establishing a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), it is possible to achieve information management of laboratory personnel, instruments and equipment, experimental projects, experimental data, and reagent consumables. The LIMS system can track and record the entire experimental process, including the formulation of experimental plans, allocation of experimental tasks, collection and analysis of experimental data, and generation of experimental reports, thereby improving the standardization and automation of laboratory management. Additionally, information technology can also be used to build a laboratory data sharing platform, promoting data exchange and collaboration within and between different laboratories, providing richer data resources and research ideas for scientific research innovation. Furthermore, the application of remote monitoring technology in laboratories is becoming increasingly widespread. Through devices such as network cameras and sensors, the operational status of laboratory instruments and environmental parameters can be monitored in real-time, allowing for timely detection and handling of abnormal situations, thus enhancing laboratory safety and operational efficiency.
 

Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)

Laboratory construction is a systematic and complex project that requires comprehensive consideration and careful implementation from multiple aspects, including planning and design, infrastructure construction, procurement and configuration of instruments and equipment, control of experimental environments, construction of safety protection systems, and information technology construction. Only by creating a high-quality, high-level laboratory can we provide good research conditions for researchers, stimulate innovative vitality, and contribute to the advancement of science and technology and the development of the economy and society.