Tehničko veleučilište u Zagrebu · Zagreb

Development and Characterization of Near-Infrared Detectable Twin Dye Patterns on Polyester Packaging for Smart Optical Tagging

izvorni znanstveni rad

izvorni znanstveni rad

Development and Characterization of Near-Infrared Detectable Twin Dye Patterns on Polyester Packaging for Smart Optical Tagging

Vrsta prilog u časopisu
Tip izvorni znanstveni rad
Godina 2025
Časopis Polymers
Volumen 17
Svesčić 20
Stranice 2784, 17
DOI 10.3390/polym17202784
EISSN 2073-4360
Status objavljeno

Sažetak

Smart polyester materials with embedded near-infrared (NIR) functionalities offer a promising pathway for low-cost, covert tagging, and object identification. In this study we present the development and characterization of polyester packaging surfaces printed with spectrally matched twin dyes that are invisible under visible light but selectively absorbed in the NIR region. The dye patterns were applied using a Direct-to-Film transfer (DTF) method onto polyester substrates. To validate their optical behavior, we applied a dual measurement approach. Laboratory grade NIR absorbance spectroscopy was used to characterize the spectral profiles of the twin dyes in the 400–900 nm range. A custom photodiode-based detection system was constructed to evaluate the feasibility of low-cost, embedded NIR absorbance sensing. Results from both methods show correlation in absorbance contrast between the dye pairs, confirming their suitability for spectral tagging. The developed materials were evaluated in a real-world detection scenario using commercially available NIR cameras. Under dark field conditions with edge illuminated planar lighting, the twin dye patterns were successfully recognized through custom software, enabling non-contact identification and spatial localization of the NIR codes. This work presents a low-cost, scalable approach for smart packaging applications based on optical detection of actively illuminated twin dyes using accessible NIR imaging systems.

Ključne riječi

near-infrared (NIR); twin dyes; polyester textiles; NIR absorbance; spectroscopy; BPW83 sensor; NIR light emitting diodes