Design of novel lanthanide-doped core–shell nanocrystals with dual up-conversion and down-conversion luminescence for anti-counterfeiting printing

nanocrystals enable the formation of dumbbell-shaped CSNPs, as evidenced by the morphological evolution of CSNPs and as explained by the Ostwald ripening growth mechanism. By tailoring different doped lanthanide ions in the core and the shell, the resultant CSNPs exhibit tunable but different up-/down-conversion luminescence under the irradiation of a 980 nm laser and 254 nm UV light, respectively. Finally, these hydrophilic CSNPs are further fabricated into environmentally benign luminescent inks for inkjet printing to create a variety of dual-mode fluorescent patterns (peacock, temple, and a logo of "Hunan University of Technology") on different paper-based substrates (A4 paper, envelope, and postcard). Our dual-mode light-responsive CSNPs, along with an easy fabrication method, provide a simple and promising material and technique for anti-counterfeiting applications.