Two-dimensional Hierarchical Micro-barcodes With Expanded Storage Capacity for Optical Multiplex and Information Encryptionik.

The design of nanosegregated fluorescent tags/barcodes by geometrical patterning with precise dimensions and hierarchies could integrate multi-level optical information within one carrier and enhance micro-sized barcoding techniques for ultrahigh-density optical data storage and encryption. However, precise control of the spatial distribution in micro-/nano-sized matrices intrinsically limits the accessible barcoding applications in terms of material design and construction. In this study, crystallization forces are leveraged to enable a rapid, programmable molecular packing and rapid epitaxial growth of fluorescent units in 2D via crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA). We systematically explore the fluorescence encoding density, scalability, information storage capacity, and decoding techniques of the robust 2D polymeric barcoding platform. These results provide a theoretical and an experimental foundation for expanding the fluorescence storage capacity, which is a longstanding challenge in state-of-the-art micro-barcoding techniques and establish a generalized and adaptable coding platform for high-throughput analysis and optical multiplexing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.