Dual-light emitting 3D encryption with printable fluorescent-phosphorescent metal-organic frameworks

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optics

Background:

• Optical encryption is crucial for secure data transmission.
• Room-temperature light-emitting materials are highly sought after for practical applications.
• Perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer unique optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop 3D printable dual-light-emitting materials for high-performance optical pattern encryption.
• To create a system utilizing independent fluorescence and phosphorescence emissions for concealed information.
• To establish a universal principle for MOF-based multi-light-emitting materials.

Main Methods:

• Embedding fluorescent perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) within metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
• Designing MOFs for phosphorescent host-guest interactions.
• Developing 3D printable polymer filaments incorporating the dual-light-emitting MOF powder.

Main Results:

• Perovskite-containing MOFs exhibited efficient blue phosphorescence.
• Embedded perovskite NCs showed characteristic green or red fluorescence under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation.
• Successful demonstration of pochoir pattern encryption concealing phosphorescent information behind fluorescent information.
• Development of a 3D cubic skeleton for 3D dual-pattern encryption.

Conclusions:

• A universal principle for developing MOF-based room-temperature multi-light-emitting materials was established.
• A strategy for multidimensional information encryption with enhanced capacity and security was presented.
• The developed materials offer a promising platform for advanced optical security applications.