Fluorescent hydrogel platform for 3D information storage and encryption anti-counterfeiting
Shitong Zhou, Fengyu Lin, Qingwen Guan, Lan Ding, Eduardo Saiz, Ming Li
Abstract
Information security and anti-counterfeiting are crucial across diverse sectors. We propose a method that integrates fluorescent-responsive materials with advances in additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance encryption technologies. Our approach employs 3D fluorescent hydrogel structures embedded within a protective polymer matrix using printing techniques, enhancing stability and damage resistance. This allows for constructing complex hierarchical patterns in both two and three dimensions—pixels and voxels—beyond traditional methods dependent on preformed templates. By incorporating materials that adjust visibility under different lighting, combined with additive fabrication, our method supports dual encryption through visible/UV light switching and uses a physical unclonable function (PUF) for secure 3D encrypted data. A machine learning AI model efficiently decrypts these PUF patterns, promoting advanced material-machine interaction. This work offers new avenues in encryption processing by merging nanotechnology with structural manipulations up to the macrolevel, setting the stage for developing practical 3D fluorescent anti-counterfeiting hydrogels.