Aldehyde modified nanocellulose-based fluorescent hydrogel toward multistage data security encryption

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2024-01, Vol.256 (Pt 1), p.128359-128359, Article 128359
• Main Authors: Wang, Sijie, Zhong, Han, Wang, Zhiguo, Lv, Haifeng, Jiang, Jianchun, Pu, Junwen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128359

In view of the insecurity of encode information storage based on fluorescence switch single-stage encryption, a fluorescent hydrogel for multistage data security encryption were proposed, named as polyvinyl alcohol/dialdehyde cellulose nanofibrils/carbon quantum dots hydrogel. Herein, the interpenetrating network was formed by chemically crosslinking between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and dialdehyde cellulose nanofibrils (DACNF). Additionally, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (CDs) synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method were introduced into the above hydrogel system by hydrogen bonds. The resultant fluorescent hydrogels possessed high stretchability up to 530 %, good strength of 0.96 MPa, Fe -responsive fluorescence quenching, fluorescence recovery triggered by ascorbic acid and borax-triggered shape memory. Moreover, various complex 3D hydrogel geometries were fabricated by folding/assembling 2D fluorescent hydrogel sheets, extending data encryption capability from 2D plane to 3D space. More remarkably, the 3D data encryption-erasing process of fluorescent hydrogel was realized by the strategy of alternating treatment of Fe solution and ascorbic acid solution. This work provided a facile and general strategy for constructing high security important information encryption and protection.