Single-Particle Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy of Nanoplastics.

ABSTRACT: Understanding of nanoplastic prevalence and toxicology is limited by imaging challenges resulting from their small size. Fluorescence microscopy is widely applied to track and identify microplastics in laboratory studies and environmental samples. However, conventional fluorescence microscopy, due to diffraction, lacks the resolution to precisely localize nanoplastics in tissues, distinguish them from free dye, or quantify them in environmental samples. To address these limitations, we developed techniques to label nanoplastics for imaging with stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy to achieve resolution at an order of magnitude superior to conventional fluorescence microscopy. These techniques include (1) passive sorption; (2) swell incorporation; and (3) covalent coupling of STE

SUBMITTER: Nguyen B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9118545 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature