Disclosed is use of a fluorophore suspended in a thermoplastic polymer matrix to validate a thermal cycler, which fluorophore has fluorescence characteristics within a predetermined uncertainty budget, where the polymer matrix is selected from the group consisting of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) or PVC/Acrylic copolymer. Preferably the fluorophore is selected from coumarin, xanthene, perylene, naphthalimide dyes, cyanine, aromatic hydrocarbons, fluorescent proteins, bis-benzimides, fluorescent drugs, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, oxazole yellow, thiazole orange, pyrenyloxytrisulfonic acid, propidium iodide, ethidium bromide, acridine orange, nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole, tetraphenylbutadiene, oxonol fluorescent dyes, 7-Aminoactinomycin D, aminonaphthalimide dyes, and quinolinium 6-(dimethylamino)-2-[4-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-1,3-butadienyl]-1-ethyl perchlorate. The fluorophore concentration may be below 10-2 mol/L. A method of manufacturing a PCR standard 1 may comprise bulk polymerizing thermoplastic monomers with a fluorophore to obtain a thermoplastic polymer matrix with a fluorophore suspended uniformly within; and drying, machining and polishing the polymer and suspended fluorophore.
PCR validation tubes