Moisture-Induced Reversible Phase Conversion of Cesium Copper Iodine Nanocrystals Enables Advanced Anti-Counterfeiting

Hydrochromic materials have attracted widespread attention in the fields of anti-counterfeiting because of their ability of the reversible light absorption and/or emission properties in response to water. Here, for the first it is demonstrated that the ternary copper halides Cs3Cu2I5 nanocrystals (NCs) possess excellent hydrochromic properties. The prepared Cs3Cu2I5 NCs films can dynamically extract and insert CsI by exposing/removing water to realize the reversible conversion between blue-emissive Cs3Cu2I5 and yellow-emissive CsCu2I3. Interestingly, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) coated Cs3Cu2I5 can effectively avoid the extraction of CsI and maintain long-term stability in the water. Further, the hydrochromic Cs3Cu2I5 and water-resistant Cs3Cu2I5@PMMA are used as the inks to synergistically act on anti-counterfeiting information to achieve multiple encryption effects, which can clearly identify and authenticate the effective information after moisture decryption. Importantly, the pattern can be re-encrypted to the invalid pattern after water evaporation. In addition, the anti-counterfeiting pattern has excellent stability during repeated encryption/decryption conversion cycles, which can not only balance the accessibility of anti-counterfeiting information but also effectively improve the security of information. This new discovery may not only deepen the understanding of Cs3Cu2I5 but also provide new options for the design of hydrochromic materials for anti-counterfeiting information.

Automated summary

Ternary copper halides Cs3Cu2I5 nanocrystals demonstrate excellent hydrochromic properties, allowing dynamic conversion between blue-emissive and yellow-emissive states when exposed to water. When combined with PMMA coating, the material shows long-term stability and can be used for anti-counterfeiting encryption. This innovative design provides new options and insights for the development of hydrochromic materials for anti-counterfeiting purposes.