Dynamic High‐Capacity Structural‐Color Encryption Via Inkjet Printing and Image Recognition

Abstract

Stimuli‐responsive structural‐color materials have received widespread attention in information encryption due to the significant color changes under different stimuli. However, the trade‐off between the capacity of information input, security level, cost, and large‐area manufacturing greatly limits the application of structural colors in encryption. Herein, dynamic high‐capacity and high‐resolution encryption are achieved by implementing printed total internal reflection (TIR) structural color and computer‐aided image recognition. The printed TIR microstructures are prepared with relative humidity (RH) responsive polymer, which form a heterogeneous wettability system, and can exhibit vibrant color variation with humidity. As the implemented RH is changed, the printed microstructures will expand or shrink precisely, enabling a full‐color modulation across the visible light range. With the color change, each structural‐color pixel can be specifically encoded, allowing for this to encrypt dynamic information within the same pattern at different RHs. Furthermore, This study can precisely integrates tremendous different pixels and easily prepare various encrypted patterns, which guarantee the high‐capacity information input in a low‐cost way. Moreover, through computer programming and algorithm reading, the structural‐color patterns can be decoded and decrypted in real‐time, thus offering great potential for further encryption, anti‐counterfeiting, multiplexing encoding, and data storage.