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Figure 1
Mix-it-up design and method. (a) The Mix-it-up (MIU) assembly is based on the previously described Back-it-up (BIU) design (Tan & Rubinstein, 2021View full citation). The grid and tweezers are connected to a plunging solenoid positioned in front of the spray and blot assembly, positioned above the cryogen container. (b) The spray and blot assembly consists of a piezo-electric transducer (piezo) that aerosolizes an applied droplet of sample, directing a spray towards a grid positioned in front of a strip of filter paper used for blotting. (c) The MIU GUI includes updates to the BIU GUI, including a parameter for blotting time and a button that triggers the blot-spray-and-plunge sequence. (d) The method used for high-speed sample mixing includes the following steps: (1) manual application of a primary sample to the grid and a secondary sample to the piezo, (2) blotting of the primary sample to pre-wet the grid for improved mixed-sample distribution, (3) initiation of spray to apply the secondary sample and trigger on-grid mixing, and (4) retraction of the blotting solenoid and plunging into the cryogen bath.

IUCrJ
Volume 12| Part 6| November 2025| Pages 710-724
ISSN: 2052-2525
https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252525008838