3D Fluorescent Hydrogel Origami for Multistage Data Security Protection

Current fluorescence-based anti-counterfeiting strategies primarily encode information onto single 2D planes and underutilize the possibility of encrypting data inside 3D structures to achieve multistage data security. Herein, a fluorescent-hydrogel-based 3D anti-counterfeiting platform is demonstrated, which extends data encryption capability from single 2D planes to complex 3D hydrogel origami geometries. The materials are based on perylene-tetracarboxylic-acid-functionalized gelatin/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels, which simultaneously show Fe3+-responsive fluorescence quenching, borax-triggered shape memory, and self-healing properties. By employing an origami technique, various complex 3D hydrogel geometries are facilely fabricated. On the basis of these results, a 3D anti-counterfeiting platform is demonstrated, in which the data printed by using Fe3+ as the ink are safely protected inside complex 3D hydrogel origami structures. In this way, the encrypted data cannot be read until after specially predesigned procedures (both the shape recovery and UV light illumination actions), indicating higher-level information security than the traditional 2D counterparts. This facile and general strategy opens up the possibility of utilizing 3D fluorescent hydrogel origami for data information encryption and protection.