Flexible mechano-optical dual-responsive perovskite molecular ferroelectric composites for advanced anticounterfeiting and encryption

Hybrid organic-inorganic molecular ferroelectrics have emerged as promising materials for multifunctional piezoelectric devices. However, they present challenges in practical applications because of their inherent brittleness and poor ductility. Herein, we present a flexible mechano-optical dual-responsive molecular ferroelectric composite by incorporating trimethylchloromethyl ammonium (TMCM)-MnCl₃ into styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS) matrix. The SEBS/TMCM-MnCl₃ exhibits excellent stretchable mechanical properties (tensile strain >1300%, thickness of 30 μm), piezoelectricity, and photoluminescence, enabling advanced visual-tactile-fused anticounterfeiting and encryption applications. Anticounterfeiting and antitampering tags are developed to judge whether the valued items are true or tampered with based on pattern recognition and piezoelectric response, respectively. Additionally, high-security password keyboards featuring triple-layer encryption are designed, offering more password combinations (524,288 times greater than those of traditional password devices relying solely on digital encryption) and enhanced security reliability against cracking attempts. This work can inspire designs of multifunctional optoelectronic materials and enable visual-tactile-fused intelligent applications in human-machine interfaces, information security, and advanced robotics.