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Gradient-crosslinked hydrogel microdome pattern for multilevel chromatic encryption

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Abstract

In the realm of modern cryptography and anti-counterfeiting, innovative approaches are crucial to encode sensitive information securely. Tailored responsive structural colors have garnered significant interest due to their feature-rich spectra and high sensitivity to external stimuli. However, high costs and complex processing involved in integrating the various delicate microstructures have impeded their widespread development. In this study, we present a straightforward multilevel chromatic encryption scheme utilizing direct-writing gradient-crosslinked microdomes. The solvent-responsive structural color of each microdome, arising from the synergistic effect of total internal reflections and interference, is adjusted independently across the entire visible region. Each microdome functions as a signal recording unit, enabling multilevel color variations through a solvent-dependent development step. This approach facilitates the encoding of enhanced information into a single pixel. To demonstrate the efficacy of our method for advanced applications, we have prepared a collection of solvent-dependent multilevel codes for algorithm cryptography, showcasing its potential for high-level anti-counterfeiting and high-density optical data storage.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFE0202000, 2018YFA0208500), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (22225502), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22073107, 51573192), NSFC Research Fund for International Young Scientists (22150410331), and the External Co-operation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (027GJHZ2022044MI). We acknowledge Dr. Zhengxin Fu for valuable discussion on algorithm cryptography.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Jing Xue, Kaixuan Li, Florian Vogelbacher, Yu Zhang, Xiaoyu Hou, Zixin Zhu, Yanlin Song & Mingzhu Li

  2. Key Laboratory of Bionic Materials and Interface Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Mingzhu Li

  3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Yu Wang & Tailong Zhang

  4. Beijing Key Laboratory for Optical Materials and Photonic Devices, Department of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China

    Jing Xue & Yang Tian

Authors
  1. Jing Xue
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  2. Yu Wang
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  3. Tailong Zhang
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  4. Kaixuan Li
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  6. Yu Zhang
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  10. Yanlin Song
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Correspondence to Mingzhu Li.

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Supporting information The supporting information is available online at http://chem.scichina.com and http://link.springer.com/journal/11426. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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Xue, J., Wang, Y., Zhang, T. et al. Gradient-crosslinked hydrogel microdome pattern for multilevel chromatic encryption. Sci. China Chem. 66, 3567–3575 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-023-1779-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-023-1779-3

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