Leaf-derived carbon dots with reversible solvatochromic fluorescence for 3D high-security encryption in smart hydrogels

IF 3.9 3区工程技术 Q2 CHEMISTRY, APPLIED

Dyes and Pigments Pub Date : 2026-06-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-23 DOI:10.1016/j.dyepig.2026.113563

Yiyun Song , Yuanyuan Liu , Jing Pang , Hongmei Yu , Shaoyan Wang , Wei Chen

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Abstract

The development of smart fluorescent hydrogels that exhibit multi-dimensional responses and possess dynamic adjustment capabilities is urgently needed to meet the complexity and security requirements of advanced encryption. Carbon dots (CDs) that exhibit different fluorescence depending on the polarity of the solvent can achieve this functionality. Herein, a series of low-cost, biocompatible leaf-derived carbon dots (LD-CDs) were prepared via a one-step hydrothermal treatment of leaves from Viola philippica, cherry blossom, Forsythia suspensa, and Quercus dentata. These LD-CDs display bright blue-green emission in water, red emission in ethanol or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and this property is reversible. This is due to the different aggregation states induced by the solvents. Taking advantage of this reversible property, LD-CDs were encapsulated in an agar/sodium alginate (AGSA) double-network hydrogel for the first time, resulting in a solvent-responsive smart fluorescent hydrogel (LD-CDs@AGSA) that can be used for information encryption. By utilizing the different DMSO response dynamics of the four types of LD-CDs, a binary encryption logic (blue-green = "0", red = "1") was established, achieving multi-level spatiotemporal information encoding. More importantly, a pioneering 3D gel assembly strategy was developed to fabricate a stereoscopic "gel koi" model. In this model, hydrogel units with different response rates are precisely arranged in three dimensional space, significantly enhancing information storage capacity and the complexity of decryption. This work combines sustainable biomass-derived nanomaterials with solvent-responsive fluorescence and 3D spatial encryption, providing a green, economical, and highly secure platform for advanced anti-counterfeiting, rewritable data storage, and dynamic photonic displays.

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具有可逆溶剂化致变色荧光的叶子衍生碳点在智能水凝胶中用于3D高安全性加密

为满足高级加密的复杂性和安全性要求，迫切需要开发具有多维响应和动态调节能力的智能荧光水凝胶。根据溶剂的极性表现出不同荧光的碳点（cd）可以实现这种功能。本文以堇菜、樱花、连翘和栎叶为原料，通过一步水热法制备了一系列低成本、生物相容性好的叶源碳点（LD-CDs）。这些lcd - cd在水中显示明亮的蓝绿色发射，在乙醇或二甲基亚砜（DMSO）中显示红色发射，并且这种性质是可逆的。这是由于溶剂引起的不同的聚集态。利用这种可逆特性，首次将ld - cd封装在琼脂/海藻酸钠（AGSA）双网络水凝胶中，从而得到一种溶剂响应型智能荧光水凝胶（LD-CDs@AGSA），可用于信息加密。利用四种类型ld - cd不同的DMSO响应动态，建立了蓝绿=“0”，红=“1”的二进制加密逻辑，实现了多层次的时空信息编码。更重要的是，开发了一种开创性的3D凝胶组装策略来制造立体的“凝胶锦鲤”模型。在该模型中，不同响应速率的水凝胶单元被精确地排列在三维空间中，显著提高了信息存储容量和解密复杂度。这项工作将可持续的生物质衍生纳米材料与溶剂响应荧光和三维空间加密相结合，为先进的防伪、可重写数据存储和动态光子显示提供了一个绿色、经济、高度安全的平台。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Dyes and Pigments 工程技术-材料科学：纺织

CiteScore

8.20

自引率

13.30%

发文量

933

审稿时长

33 days

期刊介绍： Dyes and Pigments covers the scientific and technical aspects of the chemistry and physics of dyes, pigments and their intermediates. Emphasis is placed on the properties of the colouring matters themselves rather than on their applications or the system in which they may be applied. Thus the journal accepts research and review papers on the synthesis of dyes, pigments and intermediates, their physical or chemical properties, e.g. spectroscopic, surface, solution or solid state characteristics, the physical aspects of their preparation, e.g. precipitation, nucleation and growth, crystal formation, liquid crystalline characteristics, their photochemical, ecological or biological properties and the relationship between colour and chemical constitution. However, papers are considered which deal with the more fundamental aspects of colourant application and of the interactions of colourants with substrates or media. The journal will interest a wide variety of workers in a range of disciplines whose work involves dyes, pigments and their intermediates, and provides a platform for investigators with common interests but diverse fields of activity such as cosmetics, reprographics, dye and pigment synthesis, medical research, polymers, etc.