title: Universal process-inert encoding architecture for polymer microparticles.
abstract: Polymer microparticles with unique, decodable identities are versatile information carriers with a small footprint. Widespread incorporation into industrial processes, however, is limited by a trade-off between encoding density, scalability and decoding robustness in diverse physicochemical environments. Here, we report an encoding strategy that combines spatial patterning with rare-earth upconversion nanocrystals, single-wavelength near-infrared excitation and portable CCD (charge-coupled device)-based decoding to distinguish particles synthesized by means of flow lithography. This architecture exhibits large, exponentially scalable encoding capacities (>10(6) particles), an ultralow decoding false-alarm rate (<10(-9)), the ability to manipulate particles by applying magnetic fields, and pronounced insensitivity to both particle chemistry and harsh processing conditions. We demonstrate quantitative agreement between observed and predicted decoding for a range of practical applications with orthogonal requirements, including covert multiparticle barcoding of pharmaceutical packaging (refractive-index matching), multiplexed microRNA detection (biocompatibility) and embedded labelling of high-temperature-cast objects (temperature resistance).
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA [2].
authors.forename: Jiseok
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA [2] Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420, USA [3].
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Bisso
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Rathi L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Srinivas
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Jae Jung
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420, USA.
authors.forename: Albert J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Swiston
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Doyle
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002616:Chemical Engineering; D004349:Drug Packaging; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D006358:Hot Temperature; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D008674:Metals, Rare Earth / Q000737:chemistry; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D008674:Metals, Rare Earth; D035683:MicroRNAs; D011108:Polymers