| Developers: | ITMO (Scientific and Educational Corporation) |
| Date of the premiere of the system: | 2022/08/15 |
| Branches: | Transport, Pharmaceuticals, Medicine, Health Care, Jewelry Industry |
2022: Announcement of protective labels based on silicon nanoparticles
On August 15, 2022, representatives of ITMO University reported that they had learned how to create uncloned tags to protect goods from fakes. These are images based on silicon nanoparticles that are formed using a laser. You cannot influence the color, structure and location of silicon particles: these parameters are randomly distributed, so that the label cannot be forged. To check the tag for originality, just upload its photo to a special program that quickly pronounces a verdict.
As reported, the technology developed in the scientific group of Dmitry Zuev, a senior researcher at the New Physics and Technology Institute of ITMO, is based on the laser ablation method, namely, the transfer of silicon film to glass by a laser pulse. The general shape of the label can be determined in advance - for example, set it to the shape of the brand logo. However, the parameters of the silicon nanoparticles from which the picture is formed cannot be programmed. Each image is unique and cannot be repeated. Silicon is not chosen by chance: in comparison with other substances, it is affordable, resistant to external influences and has great color capabilities. It can also be applied to a wider range of materials.
 | Imagine having sand in your hand and choosing to pour it out on a plate. Once the last grain of sand falls, you can see the pattern. You will not be able to repeat the same pattern on another plate. The inconsistency of our protective technology is based on this principle. Instead of sand, we took silicon: the laser affects the silicon film, causing nanoparticles to "knock out" of it, which randomly form the texture. The final picture resembles a cluster of colorful stars. told Pavel Kustov, first author of the article, graduate student of the New Physics Department of ITMO |  |
For each silicon particle, unique data are assigned: coordinates by location and color, as well as the percentage of crystallinity (structure). All of these parameters are encoded and entered into the database. Location coordinates are responsible for the shape of the label and provide the first level of protection. Chromatic coordinates are responsible for the color palette and optimize reliability by another step. Finally, the percent crystallinity, the last level of protection, reflects how orderly or chaotic the atoms are in each particle.
| | Our tags are not visible to the naked eye. To consider them and check for originality, you need to take a photo of the label using a magnifying lens or microscope, and upload it to a specially written program. This program, using machine learning and computer vision, aligns, clusters, that is, optimizes the photo to a certain coloring, where each digit corresponds to a certain color, and then compares it with data from the database. If all the parameters match, the program will give a verdict that you have the original. If there are too many differences, it will indicate a fake. told Elena Petrova, explains co-author of the article, student of the New Physics Department of ITMO | |
According to the authors of the project, the tags are suitable for manufacturers of luxury goods or goods produced in limited quantities: medicines, cars jewelry jewelry, musical instruments.
| | In the international scientific space for August 2022, there is very little research, where affordable and easily implemented technologies for creating uncloned protective tags are offered. The laser ablation method and silicon are used for these purposes for the first time. It turned out that a relatively simple method can provide the maximum level of protection. The next step in the project is to make our labels more flexible in order to expand the range of materials on which they can be applied. concluded Martin Sandomirsky, co-author of the paper, student of the New Physics Department of ITMO | |
The results of the study are published in the journal ACS Applied Nano Materials.
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