Metal nanomaterials for optical anti-counterfeit labels

Abstract

The global economic, security, and health challenges presented by counterfeit goods require new approaches toward anti-counterfeit labels. This review describes recent advances in the use of metal nanomaterials for optical anti-counterfeit labels that may offer a multiplexed approach to security tags that can be easily fabricated, offer large coding capacity, and be interrogated throughout the supply chain and by the end user. This review also critically discusses the current approach to developing continuously more complex labels and offers awareness toward the need for simple, yet unclonable, taggants.