Patent ID: 7820452

Claim:
A method for enhancing a vacuum evaporation or sublimation procedure while simultaneously protecting personnel from possible implosion hazards from vacuum evacuated laboratory glassware, comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a transparent elastomer; (b) creating a cover from said transparent elastomer having enhanced thermal conductivity due to the incorporation of a quantity of a thermally conductive nanopowder within a formulation of said transparent elastomer utilized for creating said cover, said thermally conductive nanopowder being selected from the group consisting of iron, aluminum, and copper, and having dimensions approximately between 10 and 100 nanometers so as to have no significant effect on said transparency of said elastomer; (c) enclosing a substantial portion of an outer surface of a particular item of said laboratory glassware to be vacuum evacuated during said vacuum procedure with said cover, said particular item of laboratory glassware having an annular wall extending between a solid base area and an open top; and (d) evacuating said particular item of laboratory glassware with a vacuum pump, said cover cooperating with said glassware to expedite said evaporation or sublimation procedure while simultaneously providing “see-through” transparency and said implosion hazard protection to said personnel adjacent said glassware.