Conexiant
Login
  • The Analytical Scientist
  • The Cannabis Scientist
  • The Medicine Maker
  • The Ophthalmologist
  • The Pathologist
  • The Traditional Scientist
The Analytical Scientist
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Latest
    • News & Research
    • Trends & Challenges
    • Keynote Interviews
    • Opinion & Personal Narratives
    • Product Profiles
    • App Notes

    Featured Topics

    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Chromatography
    • Spectroscopy

    Issues

    • Latest Issue
    • Archive
  • Topics

    Techniques & Tools

    • Mass Spectrometry
    • Chromatography
    • Spectroscopy
    • Microscopy
    • Sensors
    • Data & AI

    • View All Topics

    Applications & Fields

    • Clinical
    • Environmental
    • Food, Beverage & Agriculture
    • Pharma & Biopharma
    • Omics
    • Forensics
  • People & Profiles

    People & Profiles

    • Power List
    • Voices in the Community
    • Sitting Down With
    • Authors & Contributors
  • Business & Education

    Business & Education

    • Innovation
    • Business & Entrepreneurship
    • Career Pathways
  • Events
    • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Multimedia
    • Video
Subscribe
Subscribe

False

The Analytical Scientist / Issues / 2015 / Sep / Spectroscopy’s New Role in Document Security
Spectroscopy Materials Science Sponsored

Spectroscopy’s New Role in Document Security

Even in today’s digital world, some of our most valuable documents are still printed on paper. Banknotes, passports and professional licenses have high value and are at risk for counterfeiting, tampering and forgery. The security printing industry has responded to the challenge by developing a multitude of new anti-counterfeiting and protection techniques, many of which are based on incorporation of novel optical features enabled by spectroscopy.

By Cicely Rathmell 09/16/2015 1 min read

Sponsored By

Share

Inks and pigments with optically unique properties can provide quick visual verification of authenticity, and can be difficult to replicate. These range from iridescent or color-shifting inks containing tiny flakes of mica that cause a change in color with viewing angle to inks that are poorly read by the illumination sources in traditional scanners used for copying. Fluorescent inks are often used to overlay documents with special words or images that appear only when illuminated by UV light or light of another specific wavelength. Fluorescent pigments may also appear as fibers incorporated into the paper itself.

To test this, we assembled an Ocean Optics spectrometer system to look at fluorescence from the European Union flag security feature on a 20 Euro note. When viewed with UV light, fluorescence from the security feature should cause the blue background on the flag to appear green, while the yellow stars should appear orange (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Fluorescence from a security feature on a 20 Euro bill.

We configured a modular fluorescence system consisting of a reflection probe, a 385 nm LED for excitation and a high sensitivity spectrometer for detection. With the probe pointed at the flag, a broad fluorescence peak was observed from ~490-560 nm, corresponding to the expected green color for the background when viewed with UV light. Fluorescence from the stars was visible in the same spectrum as a strong peak from 610-620 nm.

Results:

While a counterfeit bill might be able to replicate some Euro security features accurately enough to fool the eye at a glance, a full spectral measurement compared against an authentic Euro fluorescence spectrum could very quickly discern a fake.

Conclusions:

Optical security features and analysis techniques are an increasing part of safeguarding and evaluating document security. Compact spectroscopy systems are an important part of every step in the authentication process, from development to analysis in the field. Ocean Optics technologies can be adapted for integration into robust analysis systems and complemented by user-friendly pass/fail software to help professionals in this burgeoning field that protects our economic systems, our possessions and even our identities.

www.oceanoptics.com

Newsletters

Receive the latest analytical science news, personalities, education, and career development – weekly to your inbox.

Newsletter Signup Image

References

  1. Optical Document Security. Optical Document Security, n.d. Web. 21 July 2015.

About the Author(s)

Cicely Rathmell

Cicely Rathmell, M.Sc.

More Articles by Cicely Rathmell

False

Advertisement

Recommended

False

False

The Analytical Scientist
Subscribe

About

  • About Us
  • Work at Conexiant Europe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 Texere Publishing Limited (trading as Conexiant), with registered number 08113419 whose registered office is at Booths No. 1, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford, England, WA16 8GS.