The team at Angstrom Technologies, Inc. believes a layered approach is best when it comes to document security. A layered approach should use overt and covert features as best practices for determining if a document or package is authentic.
One part of this layered document security can be from invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes. Our guide explains more.
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What Are Invisible Fluorescent Pigments and Dyes?
Invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes are substances that can emit light when exposed to certain wavelengths. However, they differ from ordinary fluorescent pigments and dyes in that they are not seen with the naked eye in ambient light.
For example, the security thread in some American banknotes is visible. The thread can change its visible characteristics when exposed to UV light. Invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes cannot be seen. There is a distinct goal behind these types of dyes, though.
Invisible fluorescent pigments are finely ground particles of color suspended in a liquid medium to create a coloring agent. Dyes, on the other hand, dissolve completely in a liquid to create a paint or coloring agent. So, these substances operate a bit differently depending on what your organization needs for layered security purposes.
Our PhD chemists can develop a custom formula for invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes that meet your strict requirements.
How Invisible Fluorescent Pigments and Dyes Work
Advanced invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes can work in a very specific sequence as a covert security feature on documents.
Chemical Composition
Invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes consist of organic compounds that contain specific molecular structures (chromophore or fluorophore) that absorb light and fluoresce when exposed to specific wavelengths. These compounds often feature conjugated systems, or long chains of alternating single and double bonds, that allow the molecules to absorb light efficiently.
The key to their invisibility lies in their ability to remain transparent in natural lighting conditions, as they do not reflect visible light. Instead, their unique chemical structure enables them to interact with light only when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light at specific wavelengths.
Mechanism of Fluorescence
The mechanism of fluorescence involves a series of energetic processes. When these pigments and dyes absorb photons of UV light, their electrons gain energy and jump to an excited state. This state is temporary. The electrons soon return to their ground state, releasing extra energy in the form of visible light.
The emitted light typically has a longer wavelength than the absorbed light, which is why fluorescent pigments appear bright and vivid under UV light. This process can occur in mere nanoseconds, allowing for rapid transitions between states when the UV light appears and disappears.
Type of Invisible Fluorescent Pigments and Dyes
There are several types of invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes, each designed for specific applications. For instance, some are engineered for use in security inks, found in banknotes and identification cards, where they help prevent counterfeiting. Invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes have become integral to numerous industries. Agriculture may use them to detect if seeds or products are genuine. Explosives manufacturers use fluorescent dyes so that investigators can detect substances, even in trace amounts, through a process called fluorescence quenching.
Detecting Invisible Fluorescent Pigments and Dyes
Detecting invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes requires specific tools and techniques. First, the person needs to know where to look on the security document. This requires foreknowledge of where the UV mark is located. Some security documents can change the location of the invisible fluorescent ink from one set of documents to another. If the mark appears in a location that is not prescribed, the document can be further examined to determine its authenticity.
The most common detection method involves using ultraviolet (UV) light sources from handheld or desktop devices, depending on the application. A layered security approach can even include a feature that points to where the invisible fluorescent mark should appear.
One advantage of advanced invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes is that they can be made to appear only when exposed to a range of specific wavelengths. One common wavelength could be 365 to 395 nm for an invisible compound.
Applications of Invisible Fluorescent Pigments and Dyes
There are several applications for advanced invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes.
Document Security
These substances play a crucial role in document security by providing covert features that enhance the authenticity of the document. Security printers incorporate these pigments into banknotes, passports, birth certificates, and identification cards, among others. The secondary goal is to prevent counterfeits because these pigments and dyes are very difficult to replicate using ordinary means.
Brand Protection & Product Authentication
High-end brands, such as electronics and luxury goods, can employ advanced invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes on their products without making a visible mark. These marks can be applied directly to the products, such as a leather bag or the plastic housing of a gaming PC, and not just the packaging. Retailers who sell these wares would need to know where to find these invisible marks and what wavelengths are needed to detect them.
This security not only authenticates products but protects a brand from counterfeiting. Counterfeit products cost companies upwards of $2 trillion.
Industrial Processes
Industrial companies can utilize UV light detection to find trace amounts of products that may leak or highlight defects. UV lights can highlight cracks in a company’s non-destructive testing (NDT) process. This can also detect if a chemical has leaked.
Invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes can be a non-colored solution when applied properly. They can also be applied to coatings along safe passageways, safety doors, firefighting equipment, and traffic signs as a way to see objects in the dark.
Advantages of Using Invisible Fluorescent Pigments and Dyes
The biggest advantage of invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes is that they are completely covert. The public cannot see them just by looking at them. When combined with other layered security features, they can point the way to where the invisible mark should be.
The key to this type of security feature is to incorporate advanced pigments and dyes. They have a high security threshold because they are difficult to replicate using ordinary means. That makes fraudulent documents easier to detect.
Advanced invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes are made to be durable. And, because they are invisible, it would be difficult to destroy the mark without possibly destroying the entire document or product. Contrarily, fraudulent documents or products and any tampering would be easy to detect if the invisible pigments or dyes do not appear as they should.
Integration With Other Security Layers
As we stated, advanced invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes should be used as part of a layered security approach. These types of features easily integrate with other security layers to add protection to your documents.
Combining With OVPs
Optically variable pigments (OVPs) shift colors when viewed at different angles. Specially marked OVPs offer an overt security feature for a quick inspection of a document.
However, OVPs can do more than just shift colors. Specific shifts or shapes could point to where the invisible mark is located in the document. For example, staffers checking the covert security features can have a cheat sheet of the color shifts. If they see a color shift from red to green, that may indicate the invisible mark is in the upper-left corner of the document. A different color shift, say from orange to black, could indicate the invisible mark is in the lower-right corner. Any variance from these standards might indicate a counterfeit document.
Track & Trace Technology
Does your organization need more robust track and trace technology? Rather than standard barcodes, invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes can be placed in inks to create a scannable barcode that illuminates only under the right UV lighting conditions. Once the barcode appears, you can scan it to verify the shipment.
Multi-Layering With UV Taggants
You can even multi-layer invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes with UV taggants. For example, one wavelength of UV light can change the color of a UV taggant, while a different wavelength can make the invisible element appear. It’s the same technology used in two slightly different authentication methods.
Cost-Effectiveness of Invisible Fluorescent Pigments and Dyes
This type of layered security feature is cost-effective, even with advanced production methods.
Scalable Production Methods
Creating these layered security items is scalable following the research and development phase. Invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes can be produced in large quantities based on your requirements.
Reduction in Fraud
There is another way these elements save your organization money by preventing fraud. Government document or benefits fraud costs agencies more than $10 billion a year. Robust document security can save your organization money by preventing fraud with a layered security approach.
Talk to Angstrom Technologies, Inc., About Advanced Layered Document Security
Angstrom Technologies, Inc. has led the industry with advanced fluorescent pigments, dyes, and taggants for decades. Talk to us about how invisible fluorescent pigments and dyes can help your organization’s layered security requirements.
Contact us or call 859-282-0020 to start the conversation.
