Dual Colorimetric and Fluorescent Authentication Based on Semiconducting Polymer Dots for Anticounterfeiting Applications

Wei Kai Tsai, Yung Sheng Lai, Po Jung Tseng, Chia Hsien Liao, Yang-Hsiang Chan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

67 Scopus citations

Abstract

Semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) have recently emerged as a novel type of ultrabright fluorescent probes that can be widely used in analytical sensing and material science. Here, we developed a dual visual reagent based on Pdots for anticounterfeiting applications. We first designed and synthesized two types of photoswitchable Pdots by incorporating photochromic dyes with multicolor semiconducting polymers to modulate their emission intensities and wavelengths. The resulting full-color Pdot assays showed that the colorimetric and fluorescent dual-readout abilities enabled the Pdots to serve as an anticounterfeiting reagent with low background interference. We also doped these Pdots into flexible substrates and prepared these Pdots as inks for pen handwriting as well as inkjet printing. We further applied this reagent in printing paper and checks for high-security anticounterfeiting purposes. We believe that this dual-readout method based on Pdots will create a new avenue for developing new generations of anticounterfeiting technologies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)30918-30924
Number of pages7
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume9
Issue number36
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Sep 2017

Keywords

  • anticounterfeiting
  • fluorescent polymer inks
  • full-color patterning
  • photoswitchable
  • semiconducting polymer dots

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Dual Colorimetric and Fluorescent Authentication Based on Semiconducting Polymer Dots for Anticounterfeiting Applications'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this