Aggregation-induced emission fluorogens as biomarkers to assess the viability of microalgae in aquatic ecosystems.

Microalgae can be a valuable indicator for monitoring water pollution due to their sensitivity to the changes induced by pollutants in the environment. In this study, an aggregation-induced emission fluorogen was used as a novel tool to differentiate dead and live microalgae and quantify the link between live algal concentration and fluorogen intensity. Protein in the cell protoplasm is the key component contributing to fluorescence emission in algae.