Patent ID: 8231070

Claim:
A device for washing and/or shredding a material under an applied external force, said device comprising: a substantially cylindrical device body extending from an upper end to a lower end, the cylindrical portions of said device body defining a longitudinal axis from the upper end to the lower end, the device body having an inner surface and an outer surface; a fixed opening at the upper end of the device body; a mounting fitting on the cylindrical portion of said device body adjacent the upper end for mounting the device body coaxially within a centrifuge tube; and a deformable opening area in said device body, wherein said deformable opening area is formed of a deformable material and is disposed at the lower end of said device body, wherein the deformable opening area has a thickness extending between an inner surface and an outer surface of said device body, the inner surface of the deformable opening area being contiguous with the inner surface of the device body, and the outer surface of the deformable opening area being contiguous with the outer surface of the device body, wherein said deformable opening area has an opening deformable at least sufficiently for the passage of liquid under an externally applied force greater than ambient pressure, said force comprising centrifugal force or positive or negative pressure from a gas or liquid, and wherein said deformable opening area opening remains closed to the passage of liquid under ambient pressure.