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Which microplates are best suited for fluorescence, luminescence and absorbance assays?
Posted October 22, 2019
White microplates are best suited for all luminescence and BRET applications as their material and surface maximizes luminescence signals.
For fluorescence applications black microplates are typically recommended as their material minimizes light scattering. However, time-resolved fluorescence (TRF & TR-FRET) assays are used in conjunction with fluorophores that have a longer half-life. We recommend using a white plate for time-resolved fluorescence assays and other assays where a lower signal is to be expected, to reduce the signal from background autofluorescence. This reduction is due to the delay between the excitation of the fluorophore and the time of emission reading.
Tissue culture treated microplates are individually wrapped and the plate of choice for all cell based assays.
Additionally, all bottom-reading microplate applications will require a clear bottom plate, regardless of plate color.
Please see the below table for recommendations for common applications:
| White Solid | Black Solid | Black, clear bottom | |
| Luminescence | xx | ||
| Fluorescence | xx | x | |
| Absorbance | xx | ||
| BRET | xx | ||
| FRET | xx | x | |
| AlphaScreen® | xx | ||
| Fluorescence Polarization (FP) | xx | ||
| HTRF® | xx | x |