Pyrene-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) with less colour migration for anti-counterfeiting applications

Wang, Xiaohui; Wang, Lirong; Mao, Xiaoyu; Wang, Qingsong; Mu, Zhongfei; An, Li; Zhang, Wan; Feng, Xing; Redshaw, Carl; Cao, Changyong; Qin, Anjun; Tang, Ben Zhong

Abstract

Traditional luminescent materials are subject to aggregation-caused quenching, which limits their use for high-technological applications in the solid state. In an attempt to address such issues when using luminescent materials in fluorescent inks, by taking advantage of the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behaviour, this article presents a set of pyrene-based AIEgens which possess high thermal stability, excellent fluorescence properties, and good biocompatibility. These AIEgens can be utilized as fluorescent inks for anti-counterfeiting applications at ultralow/low concentration (0.004-0.5 wt%) (weightAIEgens : weightbinder= 5 : 125 000-5 : 1000) with slight colour migration (< 27 nm) for different printing substrates. The use of such a fluorescent ink containing pyrene-based AIEgens has extended the scope of application over the range from ultralow to high concentration thereby avoiding the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect. Additionally, this system would lower the product cost, and be beneficial for the environment. The high-quality fluorescence pattern was found to exhibit good printability on different types of paper by old printing technology (screen printing technology). This work highlights that pyrene-based AIEgens are excellent candidates for use in anti-counterfeiting, and these results have the potential to enrich the practical applications of AIEgens in both academic and industrial fields.

Citation

Wang, X., Wang, L., Mao, X., Wang, Q., Mu, Z., An, L., Zhang, W., Feng, X., Redshaw, C., Cao, C., Qin, A., & Tang, B. Z. (2021). Pyrene-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) with less colour migration for anti-counterfeiting applications. Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 9(37), 12828-12838. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1tc03022a

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 4, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Aug 25, 2021
• Publication Date: Oct 7, 2021
• Deposit Date: Aug 25, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 26, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Materials Chemistry C
• Print ISSN: 2050-7526
• Electronic ISSN: 2050-7534
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 37
• Pages: 12828-12838
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d1tc03022a
• Keywords: Materials Chemistry; General Chemistry
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3826480