Geminate labels programmed by two-tone microdroplets combining structural and fluorescent color

Abstract

Creating a security label that carries entirely distinct information in reflective and fluorescent states would enhance anti-counterfeiting levels to deter counterfeits ranging from currencies to pharmaceuticals, but has proven extremely challenging. Efforts to tune the reflection color of luminescent materials by modifying inherent chemical structures remain outweighed by substantial trade-offs in fluorescence properties, and vice versa, which destroys the information integrity of labels in either reflection or fluorescent color. Here, a strategy is reported to design geminate labels by programming fluorescent cholesteric liquid crystal microdroplets (two-tone inks), where the luminescent material is ‘coated’ with the structural color from helical superstructures. These structurally defined microdroplets fabricated by a capillary microfluidic technique contribute to different but intact messages of both reflective and fluorescent patterns in the geminate labels. Such two-tone inks have enormous potential to provide a platform for encryption and protection of valuable authentic information in anti-counterfeiting technology.