The Use of Carbon Nanoparticles for Inkjet-Printed Functional Labels for Smart Packaging

Abstract

Smart packaging functions can be provided by printing functional labels onto packaging materials using inkjet printing and inks with changeable photoluminescence properties. Carbon nanoparticles are considered a perspective fluorescent component of such inks. Ink compositions based on carbon nanoparticles are developed and adapted for inkjet printing on paper packaging materials for producing smart packaging labels. The influence of technological factors of the printing process on the photoluminescence characteristics of the printed images is investigated. The main investigated factors are the concentration of carbon nanoparticles, the relative area of raster elements of a raster field of a tone image, the absorbance and surface smoothness of paper. The resulting parameters are photoluminescence intensity and color. It is found that in case of changes in surface smoothness and absorbance of paper and concentrations of carbon nanoparticles in the ink compositions, the photoluminescence intensity of a printed image changes while its photoluminescence color remains the same. To obtain the highest contrast of tone inkjet-printed images with carbon nanoparticles on papers with any absorbance, the highest concentration of carbon nanoparticles in the ink composition should be used. However, the highest contrast and the highest own photoluminescence intensity of a tone inkjet-printed image with inks with carbon nanoparticles can be achieved only on papers with the lowest absorbance. The most noticeable difference between photoluminescence intensity of printed images on papers with any absorbance can be obtained with the lower concentration of carbon nanoparticles in the ink composition (10 mg/mL). The optimum concentrations of carbon nanoparticles in the composition are determined: for papers with low absorbance—10 mg/mL, and for papers with medium and high absorbance—25 mg/mL. Analytical dependency is created for photoluminescence intensity of images printed with inkjet printing inks with carbon nanoparticles as a function of the studied technological factors. Some design solutions for photoluminescent labels are suggested.

The role of smart packaging system in food supply chain

“…However, highly viscous and particle inks with high aspect ratio, for example, organic dielectrics and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), cannot be easily managed by inkjet printing due to the blockage of the nozzle (Calvert, ; De Gans, Duineveld, & Schubert, ; Tortorich & Choi, ). Inkjet printing has been employed to print, at the same time of the packaging, some information about the product manufacturing and expiration date (Hrytsenko, Hrytsenko, Shvalagin, Grodziuk, & Kompanets, ). Furthermore, as a promising smart element for SP, RFID tags can be made by inkjet method.…”

“…The materials used for the smart elements need to be printable, low‐cost, user‐ and environmentally friendly, precise, manageable, and reproducible. In this aspect, many nanomaterials have been intensively applied for the printing of SP applications (Duncan, ; Hrytsenko et al., ; Jiang et al., ). The most convenient strategy may be firstly print SP labels and then attach them on the package surface.…”

Polyaniline-Based Ink for Inkjet Printing for Supercapacitors, Sensors, and Electrochromic Devices

“…Functionality combined with easy processability are necessary to fabricate tailor-made devices. Novel functional inks include but are not limited to carbon nanoparticles [12], redox-responsive organometallic polymers like poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS) [13], photochromic dyes based on organic spiro compounds [14], polysiloxanebased water-repellent microemulsions [15], conductive polymer polyaniline (PANI) and its composite-based inks [16], p-doped poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) [17,18], and n-type poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline):poly (ethyleneimine) (BBL:PEI) electrically conductive polymers [19].…”

Photoluminescence Properties of Nanophotonic Labels Based on Ag Nanoparticles for Smart Packaging Produced by Screen Printing

“…Nanomaterials often possess unique properties that differ from the properties of their bulk materials. Nanophotonic components, such as ZnO nanoparticles [9], ZnO/SiO2 nanoparticles [10], carbon nanoparticles [11], and silver (Ag) nanoparticles [12] are promising for use in the manufacture of active elements of smart packaging. Ag nanoparticles possess photoluminescence properties under ultraviolet (UV) radiation [13,14].…”