Small Fluorinated Aromatic Molecule-Based Radiofrequency Identification Tags Enabled by Stepwise Tuning of Nuclear...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Information Technology

Background:

• Radiofrequency identification (RFID) is crucial for Internet of Things (IoT) networks, enabling real-time monitoring and control.
• Enhancing IoT infrastructure requires versatile RFID tags with compact size, high capacity, robust security, and seamless read-write operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel molecular encoding strategy for small molecule-based ID tags (Farcodes) for secure information storage and communication in IoT.
• To leverage fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹⁹F NMR) for creating versatile and secure RFID tag alternatives.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a fluorinated aromatics (FArs) library and a stepwise tuning strategy to modulate ¹⁹F chemical shifts via nuclear shielding.
• Developed a one-step synthesis to construct a platform of 64 FArs with distinct ¹⁹F chemical shifts.
• Employed ¹⁹F NMR for facile reading and decoding of binary Farcodes, enabling 64-bit encoding.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated 64 distinct FArs, enabling the creation of 64-bit binary Farcodes.
• Demonstrated facile reading and decoding of Farcodes using ¹⁹F NMR.
• Achieved reversible encryption and irreversible erasure using solvent-dependent shifts and hydrolysis sensitivity for enhanced information security.

Conclusions:

• Farcodes offer a promising small molecule-based RFID tag solution for secure information storage and communication in IoT networks.
• The ¹⁹F NMR-based molecular encoding strategy provides a versatile platform for developing advanced ID tags with built-in security features.