Ionoprinting controlled information storage of fluorescent hydrogel for hierarchical and multi-dimensional decryption

Abstract

Information storage and corresponding encryption/decryption are highly important owing to the prevalence of counterfeit activities and information leakage in the current age. Herein, we propose a novel method to store information via controllable ionoprinting onto fluorescent hydrogel for hierarchical and multi-dimensional decryption. Through incorporating pyrene moieties and carboxylic groups into polymeric hydrogel network, fluorescence changing and controllable shape deformation behaviors could be achieved and integrated by ionoprinting of Fe³⁺ ions. The diffusion of Fe³⁺ ions into fluorescent hydrogel can quench the fluorescence of pyrene moieties, and chelate with carboxylic groups to generate anisotropic structures for shape deformation simultaneously. Thus, fluorescence quenching-based 2D information and actuation-based 3D information could be hierarchically decrypted when exposed to UV light and being put into water, respectively. Importantly, the stored information could be erased by replacing Fe³⁺ with H⁺, which allows the fluorescent hydrogel as a recyclable information storage material. This work may provide new insights in designing and fabricating novel soft devices for hierarchical and multidimensional information encryption, against the rising problems of counterfeiting and confidential information disclosure.

摘要

本文通过离子印染的方式, 赋予荧光水凝胶信息, 并将其用于逐级、多维度信息存储. 通过铁离子的引入, 荧光水凝胶中的芘基团会发生荧光淬灭, 在紫外灯下可用于二维平面的信息存储; 同时, 铁离子的扩散会赋予水凝胶各向异性的结构, 使得其在水中驱动得到三维的信息. 并且, 储存的二维、三维信息可以通过氢离子取代铁离子进行擦除, 这使得材料具有很好的可重复利用性. 总之, 本文为新型柔性信息存储装置的设计和制备提供了新的思路.