Tri-channel tubular lanthanide nanocomposites for multimodal anti-counterfeiting

Integrating multiple signals with different excitation wavelength dependence and temperature response properties into a single nanomaterial to construct multimodal anti-counterfeiting materials is still challenging. In this research, an exciting lanthanide hybrid tri-channel tubular anti-counterfeiting nanomaterial was fabricated by fixing NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+ up-conversion nanoparticles and Cit-Eu-TC complex on the surface of YHF:Ce/11.4%Tb nanotubes, which can be further used to make anti-counterfeiting fluorescent ink and hydrogel. The hidden three-mode anti-counterfeiting patterns showed bright green, red, and blue-violet fluorescence under 254 nm, 365, and 980 nm excitation, respectively. More importantly, under the co-irradiation of 254 and 365 nm light, the patterns prepared by the anti-counterfeiting ink showed mesmerizing dynamic anti-counterfeiting performance under the stimulation of developer and temperature. With the developer's dosage increase or temperature change, the color of anti-counterfeiting patterns changed obviously. The combination of this dynamic stimulus-responsive anti-counterfeiting feature and the above three-channel static anti-counterfeiting feature might bring about multi-mode static-dynamic anti-counterfeiting performance, significantly improving the difficulty of forgery and was expected to be widely used in the field of confidential information and file anti-counterfeiting.