Hybrid Encoding Strategy of Multi-Stimulus Response Aggregation-Induced Emission Hydrogels for Advanced Information Encryption and Safety

Optical information encryption is closely related to information security, and smart hydrogels with tunable optical properties under external stimuli have received much attention as optical storage materials. However, it is still challenging to achieve complex information camouflage and large-capacity information storage in hydrogel systems. Herein, a hybrid encoding strategy afforded by an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent hydrogel with multi-stimuli responsiveness is pioneered as a feasible alternative for multiple camouflage strategies. More specifically, the photoluminescence intensity of a system can be independently or mutually tuned by specific stimuli, including solvent (DMSO/H2O), pH (NaOH/HCl), and metal ions (Fe3+/EDTA2–), leading to the precise protection or decoding of encrypted information. That is, only the correct stimulus sequence can unlock the stored real information, thus enabling the system with the functionality of multilayer encryption and on-demand decryption of information. We envisage that the present strategy of multiple information carrying and showcasing in AIE hydrogels through stimulation sequence regulation exhibits great potential for secure information writing and anticounterfeit encryption.