Enhanced Photoluminescence of Curcuma longa Extracts via Chitosan-Mediated Energy Transfer for Textile Authentication Applications

Summary

Photoluminescence is one of the most effective authentication mechanisms being used today. Utilizing and enhancing naturally sourced materials with inherent photoluminescent properties and incorporating them into fabric substrates can lead to development of green, sustainable, and functional textiles for smart applications.

Abstract

Dyes for security markings play a pivotal role in safeguarding the integrity of products across various fields, such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, food, and manufacturing among others. However, most commercial dyes used as security markings are costly and may contain toxic and harmful substances that pose a risk to human health. Curcumin, a natural phenolic compound found in turmeric, possesses distinct photoluminescent properties alongside its vibrant yellow color, making it a potential candidate material for authentication applications. This study demonstrates a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach to develop enhanced photoluminescent emissions from curcumin dyes for textile authentication. Curcumin was extracted from C. longa using sonication-assisted-solvent extraction method. The extract was dip-coated and dyed into the textile substrates. Chitosan was introduced as a post-mordanting agent to stabilize the curcumin and as a co-sensitizer. Co-sensitization of curcumin with chitosan triggers energy transfer to enhance its luminescent intensity. The UV-visible absorption peak at 424 nm is associated with the characteristic absorption of curcumin. The photoluminescence measurements showed a broad emission peaking at 545 nm with significant enhancement attributed to the energy transfer induced by chitosan, thus showing great potential as a naturally derived photoluminescent dye for authentication applications.

Introduction

Counterfeiting is considered a scourge in widespread industries across the globe. The rapid surge of counterfeit products in the market causes economic havoc, which impedes the livelihood of the primary inventor^1,2,3,4,5,6. This was brought to the fore in 2020⁷ on the ongoing concern of emerging counterfeit products as evidenced by the increasing trend of publications consisting of the keyword anticounterfeiting or counterfeiting in their title....

Protocol

1. Extraction of curcumin

1. Weigh 3 g of C. longa powder in a 50 mL centrifuge tube.
   NOTE: A 50 mL centrifuge tube was used to ease the centrifugation process and process the extraction on a single container.
2. Add 38 mL of ethanol (AR, 99%) to the centrifuge tube. Shake the tube gently to ensure thorough mixing of ethanol with the C. longa powder.
3. Sonicate the tube for 30 min at normal sonic mode and high intensity setting for extraction.
4. To.......

Discussion

Textile finishing is a common practice within the industry in order to incorporate additional functional properties onto the fabrics, making them more suitable for specific applications^45,47,48. In this study, the extracted curcumin was utilized as a natural dye to serve as authentication mechanisms for textile applications. The protocols give emphasis not only to the extraction of curcumin from turmeric, but also to the differe.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
(Curcumin) C. longa, spray dried	N/A	N/A	Naturally Sourced
100 mL Graduated Cylinder	n/a
10 mL Serological Pipette	n/a
200 mL Beaker	n/a
365 nm UV Light	AloneFire		SV004 LG
50 mL Centeifuge Tube	n/a
AATCC Multitester Fabric	Testfabrics, Inc.	401002	AATCC Multifiber test fabric # 1 precut pieces of 2 X 2 inches, Heat Sealed
Analytical Balance	Satorius		BSA 224S-CW
Aspirator	n/a
ATR- FTIR	Bruker		Bruker Tensor II
Centrifuge	Hermle Labortechnik GmbH		Z 206 A
Chitosan	Tokyo Chemical Industries	9012-76-4
Digital  Camera	ToupTek		XCAM1080PHB
Drying Rack	n/a
Ethanol	Chem-Supply	64-17-5	Undenatured, 99.9% purity
Glacial Acetic Acid	RCI-Labscan	64-19-7	AR Grade, 99.8% purity
Glass Slide	n/a
Iron Clamp	n/a
Iron Stand	n/a
Magnetic Stirrer	Corning		PC-620D
Pasteur Pipette	n/a
Propan-2-ol	RCI-Labscan	67-63-0	AR Grade, 99.8% purity
Sonicator	Jeio Tech Inc.		UCS-20
Spectrofluorometer	Horiba (Jovin Yvon)		Horiba Fluoromax Plus
Stirring Bar	n/a
UV-Vis Spectrophotometer	Agilent		Cary UV 100
Wash bottle	n/a
Zoom Stereo Microscope	Olympus		SZ61