2D Hierarchical Microbarcodes with Expanded Storage Capacity for Optical Multiplex and Information Encryption

Abstract

The design of nanosegregated fluorescent tags/barcodes by geometrical patterning with precise dimensions and hierarchies could integrate multilevel optical information within one carrier and enhance microsized barcoding techniques for ultrahigh‐density optical data storage and encryption. However, precise control of the spatial distribution in micro/nanosized matrices intrinsically limits the accessible barcoding applications in terms of material design and construction. Here, crystallization forces are leveraged to enable a rapid, programmable molecular packing and rapid epitaxial growth of fluorescent units in 2D via crystallization‐driven self‐assembly. The fluorescence encoding density, scalability, information storage capacity, and decoding techniques of the robust 2D polymeric barcoding platform are explored systematically. These results provide both a theoretical and an experimental foundation for expanding the fluorescence storage capacity, which is a longstanding challenge in state‐of‐the‐art microbarcoding techniques and establish a generalized and adaptable coding platform for high‐throughput analysis and optical multiplexing.