Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Characterization of Nile Red-Stained Microplastics through Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Researchers developed an improved method for characterizing microplastics using Nile Red fluorescent staining combined with fluorescence spectroscopy. They found that different plastic polymers produce distinct fluorescent signatures when stained, enabling more reliable identification of plastic types. The technique offers a faster and more affordable alternative to traditional microplastic detection methods, which could help scale up environmental monitoring efforts.

2024 Preprints.org 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Fluorescent labelling as a tool for identifying and quantifying nanoplastics

Researchers used fluorescent labeling with four fluorescent molecules to enable detection of nanoplastics from six common polymer types (PP, LDPE, HDPE, PS, PET, PVC) via 3D fluorescence spectral analysis. The method provides a practical approach to identifying and quantifying nanoplastics in samples where conventional spectroscopic methods face sensitivity challenges.

2024 RSC Advances 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid detection of nanoplastics and small microplastics by Nile-Red staining and flow cytometry

Researchers developed a rapid method for detecting nanoplastics and small microplastics by combining Nile-Red fluorescent staining with flow cytometry. The technique can quantify plastic particles in the 0.6 to 15 micrometer range in just 90 seconds, which is hundreds of times faster than conventional spectroscopic methods. The approach showed high detection efficiency for polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, and polystyrene, offering a practical tool for environmental nanoplastic monitoring.

2022 Environmental Chemistry Letters 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Nile Red staining for nanoplastic quantification: Overcoming the challenge of false positive counts due to fluorescent aggregates

Researchers expanded the Nile Red staining method to quantify nanoplastics smaller than 1 µm, identifying fluorescent aggregates as a source of false positive counts and developing methodological corrections to overcome this challenge and improve the accuracy of nanoplastic detection in environmental samples.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Nile Red staining for the detection of microplastics: a comprehensive study on the emission spectra

This study systematically characterized how Nile Red fluorescence spectra vary across different polymer types, pigments, weathering states, and surface roughness, providing a more comprehensive reference for using Nile Red staining to identify microplastics in environmental samples.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and quantification of microplastics using Nile Red staining

Researchers tested Nile Red staining as a method for identifying and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, finding it useful for rapid screening but noting limitations in distinguishing plastics from non-plastic particles.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 579 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Nile Red-Stained Microplastics through Fluorescence Spectroscopy

This study tested a method for detecting microplastics using a fluorescent dye called Nile Red, which makes plastic particles glow under certain light. The researchers found that different types of plastic produce distinct glow patterns, which could help scientists identify what kind of plastic they are looking at. Better detection tools like this are important for tracking microplastic contamination in the environment and understanding human exposure.

2024 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of sample preparation, fluorescence- and Raman techniques for environmental microplastics

Researchers optimized methods for preparing and analyzing environmental microplastic samples using fluorescence staining with Nile Red dye and Raman spectroscopy. The study found that while fluorescence can broadly categorize plastics as polar or non-polar, Raman spectroscopy with a deep-UV laser was needed to reliably identify all polymer types, including those pigmented with carbon black.

2024 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Analyzing microplastics with Nile Red: Emerging trends, challenges, and prospects

This review evaluates the Nile Red staining technique as an analytical method for identifying and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples. The study concludes that while Nile Red has emerged as a viable low-cost alternative to visual identification for microplastics research, not everything that fluoresces is plastic, so additional spectroscopic analysis is needed to validate results.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic detection and identification by Nile red staining: Towards a semi-automated, cost- and time-effective technique

Researchers developed a semi-automated, cost-effective method for microplastic detection using Nile red fluorescent staining, showing it can significantly reduce the time and expense of identifying microplastics compared to traditional spectroscopic approaches.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Spectro‐Microscopic Techniques for Studying Nanoplastics in the Environment and in Organisms

This review examines spectro-microscopic techniques for detecting and characterizing nanoplastics (under 1 um) in environmental and biological matrices, arguing that effective analysis requires combining particle imaging with chemical characterization of the same particles, and highlighting methods capable of simultaneous morphological and chemical identification.

2022 Angewandte Chemie 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of polystyrene nanoplastics in biological samples based on the solvatochromic properties of Nile red: application in Hydra attenuata exposed to nanoplastics

A fluorescence-based method using the dye Nile Red was validated for detecting polystyrene nanoplastics in biological tissues, including a characteristic color shift when nanoplastics are present in a cellular extract. This method could enable routine screening of tissues for nanoplastic contamination at the subcellular level.

2019 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Differentiation of different subtypes of polystyrene microplastics using Nile red

Researchers used the fluorescent dye Nile red with optimized concentration and temperature conditions to differentiate five subtypes of polystyrene microplastics—including high-impact, expandable, carboxylated, and aminated forms—based on differences in dye uptake efficiency.

2025 The Analyst
Article Tier 2

Nile red staining in microplastic analysis—proposal for a reliable and fast identification approach for large microplastics

Researchers tested Nile red staining with UV light photography as a rapid and reliable method for identifying large microplastics in environmental samples, finding it comparable to fluorescence microscopy-based staining and confirmed by μ-Raman spectroscopy.

2019 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Nile Red Staining as a Subsidiary Method for Microplastic Quantifica-tion: A Comparison of Three Solvents and Factors Influencing Application Reliability

This study evaluated Nile Red fluorescent staining as a method for quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, comparing it to traditional identification techniques. The approach can help distinguish microplastics from organic particles more quickly and cost-effectively, supporting higher-throughput microplastic analysis in environmental monitoring programs.

2017 SDRP Journal of Earth Sciences & Environmental Studies 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Dyeing to Know: Optimizing Solvents for Nile Red Fluorescence in Microplastics Analysis

Researchers investigated how the choice of solvent affects Nile Red fluorescence staining for microplastic identification, optimizing solvent conditions to improve the reliability of fluorescence-based classification of microplastic polymer types in environmental samples.

2024
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic sizes and numbers: quantification by single particle tracking

A sensitive fluorescence video microscopy method combining Nile Red staining with single particle tracking was developed to count and size nanoplastic particles in water. The technique enables quantification of plastic nanoparticles without expensive specialized equipment, making nanoplastic monitoring more accessible.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Spectro‐Microscopic Techniques for Studying Nanoplastics in the Environment and in Organisms

This review examined spectro-microscopic techniques available for detecting and studying nanoplastics in environmental and biological samples. The study highlights that detecting nanoplastics remains challenging because their small size falls below the detection limits of common analytical tools, and their chemical composition is similar to organic matrices, making identification difficult.

2022 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Nile Red staining for nanoplastic quantification: Overcoming the challenge of false positive counts due to fluorescent aggregates

Researchers refined a Nile Red dye-based method to count nanoplastic particles in water by reducing dye concentration to near-nanomolar levels, minimizing false positives from dye aggregates that mimic plastic particles. Using this approach they detected approximately 250 nanoplastics per nanoliter in water from plastic bottles and cartons — roughly ten times more than in tap water.

2023 Environmental Challenges 17 citations
Article Tier 2

A rapid-screening approach to detect and quantify microplastics based on fluorescent tagging with Nile Red

Researchers developed a rapid fluorescent screening method using Nile Red dye to detect and quantify microplastics in environmental samples, finding it significantly faster than conventional methods while maintaining reasonable accuracy.

2017 Scientific Reports 897 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of intrinsic plastics characteristics on Nile Red staining and fluorescence

Researchers evaluated Nile Red fluorescent staining performance on 60 plastic particles from sandy beaches, finding that polymer type, weathering degree, and crystallinity did not significantly affect fluorescence intensity, but particle color did — with blue, green, and red particles showing lower fluorescence and white, yellow, and orange particles showing higher fluorescence. The findings suggest that plastic pigments interfere with Nile Red detection, complicating standardization of microplastic identification methods.

2023 Journal of Sea Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Single particle-resolution fluorescence microscopy of nanoplastics

Researchers developed a fluorescence microscopy technique capable of imaging and identifying individual nanoplastic particles. The method enables single-particle resolution detection of nanoplastics, which is a key step toward better quantifying these otherwise invisible particles in environmental samples.

2020 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication and characterization of (fluorescent) model nanoplastics for polymer specific detection

Scientists developed fluorescently labeled model nanoplastics that mimic the properties of real plastic particles, enabling polymer-specific identification at very small scales. These standardized reference particles are a key research tool because nanoplastics are otherwise extremely difficult to detect and characterize in environmental samples.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Quantitative and rapid detection of nanoplastics labeled by luminescent metal phenolic networks using surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Researchers developed a detection method using luminescent metal-phenolic network tags combined with portable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) that can identify and quantify multiple nanoplastic types (polystyrene, PMMA, PLA) as small as 50 nm at concentrations as low as 0.1 µg/mL in field-deployable settings.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 27 citations