Dual-Mode Hydrogels with Structural and Fluorescent Colors toward Multistage Secure Information Encryption

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Developing advanced anti-counterfeiting materials is crucial for information security.
• Current dual-mode materials face limitations in stimulus responsiveness and color tunability for multistage encryption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a novel dual-mode hydrogel with independently tunable structural and fluorescent colors for multistage information encryption.
• To demonstrate a new strategy for creating secure anti-counterfeiting materials.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a dual-mode hydrogel using poly(dodecylglyceryl itaconate) (pDGI) for structural color and 6-acrylamidopicolinate (6APA) with lanthanide ions for fluorescent color.
• Controlling structural color via crosslinking density and water content.
• Modulating fluorescent color by adjusting the ratio of lanthanide ions.

Main Results:

• The hydrogel exhibits independently tunable structural and fluorescent colors.
• Structural color is angle-dependent and adjustable.
• Fluorescence color is tunable via lanthanide ion concentration.
• Dual-mode information can be displayed separately or synergistically overlaid.

Conclusions:

• A hydrogel system capable of multistage information encryption using dual optical modes has been successfully developed.
• This approach offers a promising platform for safeguarding authentic information in anti-counterfeiting applications.
• The independently tunable structural and fluorescent properties provide enhanced security features.