Detecting tampering with “smart” materials that change color

Materials that change color in response to a mechanical stimulus have a broad range of applications such as pressure-sensitive sensors and packaging that can detect tampering. Researchers at Hokkaido University have now designed a mechano-responsive luminescent material.
When first prepared, the viscous oil emits an orange color under ultraviolet irradiation. When it is pricked with a needle it randomly crystallizes either into “chiral” yellow crystals that emit green light or into “achiral” whitish-grey crystals that emit bluish-green light. An article about the research is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (Press Release Hokkaido University, 25 July 2017).
Click here for the press release.

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