Physical Unclonable anticounterfeit tags using Nanotechnology

Project Information

NanoPUF

Grant agreement ID: 101155853

DOI

10.3030/101155853

Project closed

EC signature date 21 February 2024

Start date 1 May 2024

End date 31 March 2026

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 000,00

Coordinated by

LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NanoPUF (Physical Unclonable anticounterfeit tags using Nanotechnology)

Reporting period: 2024-05-01 to 2026-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

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 ~ 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 as well as holograms etc.. 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 cheap, reliable and fool-proof encryption AND 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.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the project, we developed and experimentally investigated nanotechnology-based physical unclonable functions based on plasmonic nanoparticle arrangements. The technical work focused on fabricating PUF labels by combining nanosphere lithography with DNA origami-directed nanoparticle placement, thereby generating high-density optical fingerprints arising from nanoscale structural variations. We showed that the stochastic details of the particle arrangement and plasmonic coupling produce label-specific optical signatures that are effectively unclonable. In parallel, we designed and built a compact optical readout prototype based on dark-field microscopy, using a 3D-printed framework and commercially available components. This system enabled reliable acquisition of the optical signals required for PUF authentication and demonstrated that readout can be achieved with relatively simple and low-cost instrumentation. Based on the scientific, technical and commercial insights obtained during the project, the work was extended toward plasmonic DNA nanostructure-based assay concepts for molecular detection and optical readout. The main outcomes of the action are the demonstrated technical feasibility of the NanoPUF concept, fabricated and optically characterized PUF labels, prototype 3D-printed readout microscopes, prototype image-analysis software, the basis for a new plasmonic sensing approach that remains under further development and a new patent application on the plasmonic sensing. Parts of the work covering the physical unclonable functions based on plasmonic nanoparticle arrangements were published in Advanced Optical Materials: Dass et al. "Self‐assembled physical unclonable function labels based on plasmonic coupling", 2025.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The NanoPUF concept demonstrated that DNA origami-directed nanoparticle placement can create high-density optical fingerprints with intrinsic nanoscale variability, providing a technically feasible route toward physical unclonable labels. In addition, the development of compact dark-field readout prototypes showed that the required optical signatures can be acquired using comparatively simple and low-cost instrumentation. During the project, it became evident that the most promising potential commercial impact may extend beyond anti-counterfeiting and include affordable molecular detection based on plasmonics. The project generated scientifically and technically relevant results that may support future applications of plasmonic nanostructures in authentication and molecular sensing. To ensure further uptake and success, additional research and demonstration are needed, particularly to improve robustness, validate performance under application-relevant conditions, and benchmark sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, and scalability. Further IPR support will also be important, especially for the emerging plasmonic sensing concept, together with continued technical development toward standardized fabrication and readout protocols. At the end of the project, the main results are a reliable NanoPUF fabrication concept, optically characterized PUF labels, 3D-printed microscope prototypes and a new scientific and technical basis for a plasmonic single-molecule sensing platform.