Dual Challenge-Response Systems of a Three-Dimensional "Bionic" Fluorescent Physically Unclonable Function Label

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Traditional 2D fluorescent PUF labels face limitations in coding capacity.
• Developing secure and cost-effective anti-counterfeiting solutions is crucial.
• Mimicking natural structures can inspire novel material designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel 3D "bionic" fluorescent physically unclonable function (PUF) label.
• To enhance the coding capacity and security of PUF labels.
• To develop a cost-effective PUF label with a minimalist preparation process.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Eu(CCA)3(H2O)2 powder with a unique secondary building unit as the fluorescent material.
• Preserved the 3D morphology of the fluorescent material in resin to mimic cloud-like structures.
• Employed experimental tests and first-principles calculations to elucidate luminescent properties.
• Proposed a dual challenge-response system model (shallow and deep) to overcome coding limitations.

Main Results:

• Successfully created a 3D "bionic" fluorescent PUF label with cloud-like structures.
• Demonstrated enhanced encoding capacity from 2^10x10 to 2^100x10000 for a 10x10 pixel binary code.
• Achieved a balance between simple PUF label usage and significantly enhanced label security.

Conclusions:

• The proposed 3D "bionic" fluorescent PUF label offers a promising solution for anti-counterfeiting applications.
• The minimalist preparation process and enhanced security pave the way for widespread adoption of 3D PUF labels.
• This work provides new insights into the design and application of advanced PUF security features.