Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2025
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Chaoyang Jiang
Abstract
Counterfeiting involves replicating genuine products using inferior materials to deceive consumers, posing serious risks to public health and safety. To combat this issue, numerous anti-counterfeiting technologies have been developed, such as holograms, watermarks, and fluorescent taggants. Recently, physically unclonable functions (PUFs) have shown promise due to their inherently random and irreproducible patterns. However, the fabrication of PUF patterns often requires complex or time-consuming processes. In this work, I present a simple and scalable approach to create covert anti-counterfeiting labels using inkjet printing. Employing a commercially available inkjet printer, unique droplet patterns of silver nanoparticles were generated by tuning ink formulation and post-printing treatments. Several parameters, such as substrate type, drying temperature, print intensity, co-solvent composition, and polymer additives, were systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that the droplet size and morphology can be finely tuned in a controllable manner. In addition, polymer additives in the silver inks play an essential role as a microscopic template for the assembly of silver nanoparticles. With a deeper understanding of the relationship between ink properties and pattern formation, these inkjet-printed labels with unclonable droplet features can offer a promising strategy for combating counterfeiting.
Subject Categories
Chemistry
Keywords
Co-Solvent Counterfeiting Inkjet Printing Physically Unclonable Functions Polymer Additive Silver Inks
Number of Pages
70
Publisher
University of South Dakota
Recommended Citation
Tran, Mary, "INKJET PRINTING OF PHYSICALLY UNCLONABLE SILVER DROPLETS FOR SECURITY APPLICATIONS" (2025). Dissertations and Theses. 383.
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/383