Optically Sensitive and Magnetically Identifiable Supraparticles as Indicators of Surface Abrasion.
Sarah Wenderoth1,2, Stephan Müssig3, Johannes Prieschl3
1Chair of Chemical Technology of Materials Synthesis, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Röntgenring 11, D97070 Würzburg, Germany.
Nano Letters
|March 21, 2022
Summary
New core-shell supraparticles act as tiny tags for product authentication and abrasion detection. These bifunctional particles embedded in coatings offer dual information storage for enhanced product integrity monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Product authentication and integrity monitoring are crucial in global supply chains.
- Current methods often rely on external labels, which can be compromised.
- There is a need for integrated, miniaturized information taggants within product surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop bifunctional micrometer-sized core-shell particles (supraparticles) for product surface authentication and abrasion indication.
- To integrate these supraparticles as additives in surface coatings for practical application.
- To demonstrate the capability of storing multiple types of information within a single particle.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of core-shell supraparticles with iron oxide nanoparticle cores and fluorescent silica nanoparticle shells.
- Utilizing magnetic particle spectroscopy to read spectral magnetic codes from the iron oxide cores for identification.
- Employing fluorescence spectroscopy to detect the abrasion of silica shells, indicating mechanical stress.
- Incorporating the bifunctional supraparticles into a surface coating formulation.
Main Results:
- Successfully developed supraparticles with distinct identification and abrasion-sensing functionalities.
- Demonstrated reliable identification of surfaces using spectral magnetic codes via magnetic particle spectroscopy.
- Showcased the ability to detect surface abrasion through the loss of fluorescence from the silica shell.
- Validated the application of these bifunctional supraparticles within a surface coating.
Conclusions:
- Bifunctional supraparticles offer a novel approach for integrated product authentication and integrity monitoring.
- The combination of magnetic and fluorescent properties within a single particle enables dual-functionality.
- This technology has the potential to enhance product security and quality control in various industries.
