High-Resolution Structural Color Patterns via Printing ZnS Microparticles on Silicon: Cross-Scale Quadruple Information Encryption

Achieving structural colors with both high spatial resolution and large-scale manufacturability remains a significant challenge for advanced anticounterfeiting and information encryption. Here we present a strategy that overcomes this limitation by printing ZnS microparticles on a silicon substrate. The high refractive index contrast between ZnS and silicon generates strong substrate-coupled Mie resonances, which enhance the scattering intensity of individual particles and ensure stable color performance over a wide range of interparticle distances. This allows us to achieve a feature size as small as 0.3 μm, corresponding to a theoretical resolution of 97,200 dpi and a daily production throughput exceeding three million feature units. Taking advantage of the stable color behavior and ultrahigh resolution, we construct a cross-scale quadruple information encryption pattern. Four independent encoding layers are integrated into a single pattern: structural color determined by particle size, feature units spacing, primary unit shape, and a hidden secondary pattern. The printed patterns retain full structural color after exposure to solvent vapor, heating at 150 °C for 1 h, and one year of ambient storage. Our work uniquely combines submicron precision, high scalability, and quadruple information encryption for advanced structural color applications.