Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A non-contact in situ approach for detecting fluorescent microplastic particles in flowing water using fluorescence spectroscopy

Researchers developed a non-contact in situ method combining fluorescence spectroscopy and interferometric particle imaging to detect, characterise, and classify fluorescent polypropylene microplastic particles in flowing water.

2025 Environmental Science Advances
Article Tier 2

Development of dye-staining method for microplastics detection

Researchers developed a tailored dye-staining method for detecting microplastics and microfibers, proposing a selective staining protocol designed to improve visualization and identification accuracy. The study presents this approach as a practical analytical tool for microplastic detection in environmental and laboratory samples.

2024
Article Tier 2

Spectroscopic Investigation of Increased Fluorescent Intensity of Fluorescent Dyes When Adsorbed onto Polystyrene Microparticles

Researchers investigated how fluorescent dyes used to stain and identify microplastics behave differently depending on the plastic polymer type and surrounding water chemistry. Understanding how staining conditions affect fluorescence intensity helps improve the reliability of dye-based microplastic detection methods.

2021 Analytical Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Revolutionizing microplastic detection in water through quantum dot fluorescence

Researchers developed a novel approach using carbon quantum dots to stain microplastics, enabling fluorescence-based detection in water at low cost and with simple synthesis, demonstrating high sensitivity and selectivity without the toxicity concerns of conventional fluorescent dyes.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water through Fluorescence Signal Analysis

Researchers developed an automatic, portable fluorescence-based system for quantitative detection of microplastics in water, using dye-stained particles flowing through a laser beam to enable fast and objective counting without manual microscopy.

2023 Photonics 14 citations
Article Tier 2

In-situ Detection Method for Microplastics in Water by Polarized Light Scattering

Researchers developed an in-situ detection method for microplastics in water using polarized light scattering at 120 degrees, enabling real-time measurement of individual particles without sample collection or laboratory processing.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Coumarin 6 staining method to detect microplastics

Researchers developed a fluorescence staining method using coumarin 6 dye to detect microplastics, offering a simpler and lower-cost detection approach compared to spectroscopic methods while maintaining adequate specificity for identifying plastic particles in environmental samples.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Size- and Concentration-Resolved Detection of PET Microplastics in Real Water via Excitation–Emission Matrix Fluorescence Quenching of Polyamide-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots

Scientists developed a new method to detect tiny plastic particles (called microplastics) in drinking water using special fluorescent dots that dim when they encounter plastic pollution. The technique works best at finding very small plastic pieces—smaller than the width of a human hair—which are hardest to detect but potentially most dangerous since they can get into our bodies more easily. This could help monitor plastic contamination in tap water and other water sources we use daily, giving us better information about our exposure to these harmful particles.

2026 Sensors
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

Frequency domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy: A new method to directly identify microplastics in water.

Researchers evaluated frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FD-FLIM) as a method to identify ABS, PC, PET, PS, and PVC granulates directly in a 1 cm water layer without filtration or drying. The study found that all five polymer types could be unambiguously identified by their fluorescence lifetimes, establishing FD-FLIM as a promising rapid label-free technique for direct microplastic detection in aqueous samples.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Real-Time Quantification of Microplastics in Aquatic Systems via Fluorescence Microscopy

Researchers developed a real-time fluorescence microscopy method capable of quantifying microplastics in aquatic systems with high precision, providing a faster and more accessible tool for monitoring microplastic contamination in drinking water reservoirs.

2023
Article Tier 2

Fast and portable fluorescence lifetime analysis for early warning detection of micro- and nanoplastics in water

Researchers developed a portable fluorescence-based system that can detect micro- and nanoplastics in water without any sample preparation or labeling. The method works by measuring the natural fluorescence lifetime of plastic particles using a pulsed laser, achieving detection limits as low as 0.01 mg/mL. The study presents a promising early-warning tool for rapid, on-site monitoring of plastic contamination in water sources.

2023 Environmental Research 15 citations
Article Tier 2

A photoluminescence strategy for detection nanoplastics in water and biological imaging in cells and plants

Researchers developed a fluorescent probe that can rapidly detect nanoplastics in water samples down to very low concentrations. The probe works by binding to nanoplastic surfaces through electrical and chemical interactions, which causes it to glow, enabling both detection and visual tracking in cells and plant tissues. This tool could help scientists better monitor nanoplastic contamination in water and understand how these tiny particles move through living organisms.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of microplastics using 4‐dimethylamino‐4′‐nitrostilbene solvatochromic fluorescence

Researchers introduced 4-dimethylamino-4'-nitrostilbene (DANS), a solvatochromic fluorescent dye, as a fast and sensitive tool for detecting and distinguishing microplastics in water by exploiting polymer-specific differences in dye emission. The dye absorbed efficiently into multiple polymer types and enabled visual discrimination without requiring advanced instrumentation.

2021 Microscopy Research and Technique 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Labeling Microplastics with Fluorescent Dyes for Detection, Recovery, and Degradation Experiments

Researchers optimized fluorescent dye staining protocols for labeling 17 different plastic polymer types using four textile dyes and Nile red for detection, recovery, and degradation experiments. Dye performance varied significantly by polymer type and staining conditions, and standardized protocols were recommended to improve comparability across microplastic studies.

2022 Molecules 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Revolutionizing microplastic detection in water through quantum dot fluorescence

Researchers developed a quantum dot fluorescence-based detection system for microplastics in water, achieving sensitive and rapid identification of multiple polymer types with lower detection limits and faster analysis times than conventional spectroscopic methods.

2025 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A
Article Tier 2

Rapid and reliable detection of microplastics in drinking water using fluorescence microscopy

Researchers developed a fluorescence-based method for rapid detection and quantification of microplastics in drinking water, addressing the need for faster and more practical monitoring tools. The method achieved high sensitivity and allowed polymer discrimination without requiring expensive spectroscopic instrumentation.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Reliable River Microplastic Monitoring Using Innovative Fluorescence Dyes—A Case Study

Researchers monitored microplastic concentrations (≥10 µm) in three German rivers using fluorescent staining-based detection, finding highly heterogeneous distributions ranging from 4 to 1761 MP/L and pronounced temporal fluctuations linked to weather events and changing inputs, with the Rehbach showing the highest mean concentration at 540 ± 476 MP/L.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

A New Optical Method for Quantitative Detection of Microplastics in Water Based on Real-Time Fluorescence Analysis

Researchers developed a new fluorescence-based particle counter for real-time quantitative detection of microplastics in water, validating the method against FTIR analysis on wastewater treatment plant samples containing polyethylene and PVC particles.

2022 Water 29 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential of fluorescent dyes—comparative study of Nile red and three derivatives for the detection of microplastics

Researchers compared Nile red and three newly developed fluorescent dye derivatives for staining microplastics, finding that the derivatives achieved greater selectivity for plastic particles and more intense fluorescence than standard Nile red, improving detection sensitivity.

2021 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Curcumin-based-fluorescent staining and microfluidic detection of microplastics in wastewater effluent

Researchers developed a fast, eco-friendly microplastic detection method using curcumin as a natural fluorescent dye to stain polyethylene microplastics smaller than 10 micrometres in wastewater effluent, and captured stained particles via electrophoresis in a microfluidic device as a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes.

2025 Chemical Communications
Article Tier 2

Towards a low-cost, rapid microplastic optical detection system using fluorescent staining through Nile Red for in situ ocean deployment

This study presents a proof-of-concept for a portable, low-cost microplastic detection device that uses fluorescent dye (Nile Red) and a simple optical sensor to detect plastic particles in water. The system produced a signal that scaled linearly with microplastic concentration in lab tests. Development of cheap, field-deployable sensors like this could dramatically improve our ability to monitor microplastic pollution in real time across oceans and waterways, where current lab-based methods are too expensive and slow for widespread use.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

What have we known so far for fluorescence staining and quantification of microplastics: A tutorial review

This tutorial review summarizes methods for staining and counting microplastics using fluorescent dyes, covering the full workflow from sample collection to quantification. Researchers evaluated which dyes and procedures work best for different types of plastic polymers and environmental samples. The study provides practical guidance for researchers looking for faster and more accessible ways to measure microplastic contamination.

2021 Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 101 citations
Article Tier 2

Fluorogenic hyaluronan nanogels for detection of micro- and nanoplastics in water

Researchers developed fluorogenic hyaluronan nanogels that bind selectively to micro- and nanoplastic surfaces in water and become brightly emissive upon binding, enabling sensitive fluorescence-based detection of plastic particles in environmental water samples.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 27 citations