SBIR Phase I: Universal Nanoparticle Taggants

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目提出开发一种基于全新类型的光学编码纳米颗粒的防伪和防伪/物体认证系统，这种纳米颗粒可以唯一地标记几乎任何物理物体，并将其与数百万其他类似物体区分开来。该系统是基于激发样品的稀土基上转换磷光体（RUP）材料在一个单一的不可见的红外波长，发射到许多狭窄的，良好分辨的发射带从400-800 nm。编码信息包含在多个发射带的相对比率内，该相对比率与磷光体中存在的发射体的相对比率成比例。由于它已被实验证明，超过330个比率可以解决在一个两个颜色系统，它是预测，高达30万个样本可以被唯一地标记在所提出的四色系统。在文件和光学介质认证、物体跟踪应用和药物篡改等领域提出了原理验证实验。这项技术在许多不同领域的应用，如文件和其他介质认证、个人健康或安全，可以带来大量、直接和短期的商业利益（食品供应和药品篡改）、产品认证和大量生物样品的标记以用于高通量筛选。由于可以生成和读取大量独特的标签，情报领域可能有前所未有的机会秘密跟踪和验证物体、个人、文件、车辆、金钱、爆炸物和武器。标签易于贴附、读取标签的硬件简单、与现有技术的高度兼容性以及标签的稳定无毒性质将促进迅速的商业接受

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop ataggant and anticounterfeiting/object authentication system based on a totally new type of optically encoded nanoparticle which can uniquely label almost any physical object and distinguish it from millions of other similar objects. The system is based on exciting samples of rare earth-based upconverting phosphor (RUP) materials at a single invisible infrared wavelength which emit into many narrow, well resolved emission bands from 400-800 nm. The encoded information is contained within the relative ratios of the multiple emission bands which are proportional to the relative ratios of emitters present in the phosphor. Since it has been experimentally demonstrated that over 330 ratios can be resolved in a two color system, it is predicted that up to 30 million samples could be uniquely labeled in the proposed four color system. Proof of principle experiments are proposed in the areas of document and optical media authentication, object tracking applications and pharmaceutical tampering.Commercially substantial, direct and near term benefits can be derived from the application of this technology across many diverse areas such as document and other media authentication, personal health or safety (food supply and pharmaceutical tampering), product authentication and the labeling of large numbers of biological samples for high throughput screening. By virtue of the extremely large number of unique labels that can be generated and read, there could be unprecedented opportunities in the intelligence field to surreptitiously track and authenticate objects, individuals, documents, vehicles, money, explosives and weapons. The ease of applying the labels, the simplicity of hardware to read the labels, the high compatibility with existing techniques and the stable, nontoxic nature of the labels will facilitate rapid commercial acceptance