Highly robust molecular information carriers for traceability of plastic materials

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Sequence-defined oligomers offer programmable molecular architectures for applications like data storage and anticounterfeiting.
• Challenges include low scalability, limited thermal stability, and specialized analytical requirements hindering real-world material integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a molecular tagging strategy using sequence-defined oligoamides for secure identification and traceability in industrial polymers.
• To create thermally robust taggants compatible with standard polymer processing conditions.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of abiotic sequence-defined oligoamides (using a four-monomer alphabet) at ultralow concentrations (<0.05 wt%) into various polymers.
• Optical identification via UV absorption/fluorescence and sequence authentication using automated Python-scripted tandem mass spectrometry.
• Comparative analysis of secondary and tertiary amide backbones to establish structure-stability relationships.

Main Results:

• Oligoamides demonstrated thermal resilience, surviving industrial polymer processing conditions like extrusion (up to 270°C) and curing.
• Successful optical identification and rapid, reproducible molecular code authentication via mass spectrometry.
• Oligoamides retained structural integrity and remained decodable within both thermoplastics and thermosets.

Conclusions:

• The developed molecular tagging strategy provides a versatile platform for secure identification and traceability in diverse industrial plastic materials.
• Abiotic sequence-defined oligoamides are suitable for real-world applications due to their thermal stability and compatibility with industrial processes.
• This approach enables robust anticounterfeiting and material authentication solutions.