Supramolecular color-tunable photoluminescent materials based on a chromophore cascade as security inks with dual encryption

Abstract

The design and development of novel broad-spectrum tunable photoluminescent materials for security printing with encrypted information is highly desirable. We construct a supramolecular co-assembly platform of amphiphilic cyclodextrin and calixarene, promoting energy transfer among three chromophores that are loaded by non-covalent interactions. A large matrix of colors was realized by delicately tuning the molar ratios of chromophores, which occupies most of the area in the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity diagram. The elaborate supramolecular “cocktail” hides a dual-encryption coding, which exhibits feasible application as fluorescent security inks that are difficult to counterfeit but easy to authenticate.