Photonic Inks with Dual-Layer Security Features by Encapsulation of Color Tunable Fluorescent Dyes in PMMA Colloidal Microspheres

Abstract

To counter economic terrorism by preventing counterfeit currency, documents and high-value commercial products, new-generation security inks with multiple safety features are required. Herein, color-tunable pyrylium and pyridinium dye-encapsulated polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) colloidal microspheres are reported to exhibiting brilliant emission and photonic properties. A combination of the PMMA colloidal photonic ink having structural color variation and the dye-encapsulated colloidal photonic ink with fluorescence modulation is used for security labeling. The angle-dependent structural color variations, a remarkable 250-fold fluorescence enhancement, non-toxicity, and the rare earth-free formulation have made the ink novel and suitable for dual-layer high-security printing. Covert security patterns and labels are made overt under 365 nm UV light, while also exhibiting angle-dependent structural color. The increased level of security with developed photonic colloidal inks is demonstrated with dual-layer screen-printed images and patterns on flexible substrates.