Abstract: Fluorescent dyes, ink compositions comprising the dyes, methods and devices for printing the ink compositions, images printed using the ink compositions and methods for authenticating the printed images are provided. The fluorescent dyes are heterorotaxanes that include large macrocyclic rings around fluorophores and are capable of emitting solid-state fluorescence. When the heterorotaxanes are combined with encapsulating agents and competitive binding agents in aqueous solution, the resulting ink composition exhibits a complex, dynamic equilibrium that provides a tunable fluorescence emission spectrum with a non-linear response to the dye concentration.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 6, 2019
Date of Patent:
March 8, 2022
Assignees:
Northwestern University, Innotune LLC
Inventors:
James Fraser Stoddart, Xisen Hou, Chenfeng Ke, Roger B. Pettman
Abstract: Fluorescent dyes, ink compositions comprising the dyes, methods and devices for printing the ink compositions, images printed using the ink compositions and methods for authenticating the printed images are provided. The fluorescent dyes are heterorotaxanes that include large macrocyclic rings around fluorophores and are capable of emitting solid-state fluorescence. When the heterorotaxanes are combined with encapsulating agents and competitive binding agents in aqueous solution, the resulting ink composition exhibits a complex, dynamic equilibrium that provides a tunable fluorescence emission spectrum with a non-linear response to the dye concentration.
Type:
Application
Filed:
February 6, 2019
Publication date:
June 6, 2019
Applicants:
Northwestern University, Innotune LLC
Inventors:
James Fraser Stoddart, Xisen Hou, Chenfeng Ke, Roger B. Pettman