Physical Unclonable anticounterfeit tags using Nanotechnology

The Problem

119 billion EUR worth of counterfeit and pirated goods were sold in the EU in 2022 (Europol/EUIPO). Counterfeiting of goods remains a challenge for our society, increasingly so in a globalised world with long supply chains.

Concurrently, the market for sensitive goods, such as medicine, has also increased, further exemplifying the need for anti-counterfeit measures. The WHO estimates that approximately 100,000 children under five die annually from taking counterfeit pneumonia medication.

Current anti-counterfeit measures include:

• Tamper-proof seals
• Security numbers
• RFID tags
• Colour-shifting inks
• Holograms

However, current strategies to prevent counterfeiting of authentic goods are proving inadequate. The lack of a simple and robust way of verifying the authenticity of a product is causing economic and human harm. Simply put, the features in current physical authentication tags are clonable.

The Solution

We propose first steps towards the commercialization of nanotechnology-based unclonable physical tags which can be attached to product packaging and authenticated via a 3D-printed portable microscope.

This will result in:

1. Cheap, reliable, and fool-proof encryption
2. Cheap, reliable, and fool-proof decryption

Our work, having advanced in the past years from a visionary idea to a prototype, offers an anti-counterfeit packaging solution and can become a part of the supply chain logistics in industries from pharmaceuticals to luxury goods and even for currency.