New strategy using curcumin provides smart fluorescence for anti-counterfeiting

Stimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogels (FHs) are excellent and attractive candidates for information encryption and anti-counterfeiting applications, which can allow the stored information to be visualized by a vibrant display with a higher degree of security levels. However, hydrogel-based information storage devices for anti-counterfeiting are still in their infancy, so developing an environment-friendly, low-cost, and scalable approach to produce stimuli-responsive FHs is still challenging.