Ceramic encapsulated nanoparticle-based covert taggants for tracking of materiel

The Phase I program combined the technologies at Cornell and NEI, and demonstrated the feasibility of novel composite nanoparticle-based taggants for purposes of covert identification. The nanoparticles are an alternative to dyes, inks and other materials used as invisible markers. Key features of the composite nanoparticles are that the fluorescence and environmental stability are substantially enhanced relative to the free dye. The nanoparticles are non-toxic and lend themselves to be processed for a variety of end-user applications. Specifically, in Phase I, we began developing taggant particles with two different nanoparticle microstrutures, and the particle surface was modified to impart unique adhesive characteristics. The nanoparticles were characterized using spectroscopic and visual techniques. The Phase II program will build upon these results and focus on tailoring the structure and composition of the taggant nanoparticles to render them ready for implementation in the field. This will involve appropriate choice of dye molecules, tailoring size of nanoparticles and attaching the desired surface functionality on the surface. In addition, the synthesis processes will be scaled so as to deliver test quantities of material to the Army as well as our industrial partners.