I am mixing a sodium alginate gel to apply to microfluidic channels, I’d like to use a fluorescent dye to visualise where it has been deposited after application.
It would have to be oleophobic as I cannot have the dye seep into the oil and accidentally visualise oil.
Preference of a green dye too, and cheap if possible!
The cheapest fluorescent dye is fluorescein. It is highly water soluble and very bright. Its main disadvantage is poor photostability, meaning that it photobleaches quickly when exposed to light. Pyranine is another relatively inexpensive, bright fluorescent dye that is highly water soluble and probably more photostable than fluorescein.
In either case, you will have to consider, and preferably buffer, the pH, because these dyes are sensitive to pH. Keep the pH at 7 or above.
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