70-nm polystyrene beads dried on slide
Beads aggregate at edge
FOV: 0.35 x 0 .56 mm
70-nm polystyrene beads in water under a coverslip
Beads exhibit little aggregation
FOV: 0.35 x 0 .56 mm
70-nm Isolated Polystyrene Bead
Single polystyrene nanoparticle (from image above left)
Orange filter OG530;
FLIR Blackfly 2.3 MP color camera, 4.2 fps;
450 nm excitation;
Magnification: 20X
NA: 0.42
Pixel size: 300 nm
Optical Resolution: 700 nm
We recently collaborated with local environmental scientists on a study of fluorescent dyes for MNP detection. DCVJ and Nile red dyes were compared. (1)
(1) Madison Wallner, Justin Diaz, Amelia B. Labbe, James J. Jacob, Quentin Williams, Adina Paytan and Clive R. Bagshaw. The comparative strengths and limitations of Nile Red and 9-(dicyanovinyl)-julolidine (DCVJ) fluorescent dyes for detecting microplastics and and nano-plastics, 2026. (Submitted for publication)