Temperature and light stimuli-responsive dynamic multimodal luminescence materials of Br:ZnS glass ceramics for information encryption application

Most anti-counterfeiting devices of luminescent materials are static and single-mode, which limits their security and versatility. A dynamic multimodal luminescent material based on the Br:ZnS glass ceramics was synthesised by high-temperature melting. The effects on the introduction of Br- ions were analysed. The Br:ZnS glass ceramics containing Br- ions exhibits significant fluorescence without the addition of rare-earth or metal ions doping, in contrast to previously reported luminescent materials. Moreover, the colour of the Br:ZnS glass ceramics changes from cyan to green as the temperature increases, indicating that the energy transfer involves the sulfur-vacancy-related emission centre and is influenced by the shifted donor-acceptor energy levels. Based on these findings, we explored the potential applications of the Br:ZnS glass ceramics in anti-counterfeiting and encryption and demonstrated that the dynamic multimodal luminescent characteristics of the material could enable novel and secure pathways for encoding and decoding information.