Multispectral Quantum Dot Tags for Advanced Anticounterfeiting Applications Syeda Ramsha Ali, Yueyu Guo, Soumya Sarkar, Kees de Groot, Nema M. Abdelazim ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2026 Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) based on nanophotonic materials offer a promising route toward secure and tamper-resistant authentication. Here, we introduce a quantum dots (QDs)-driven optical fingerprinting (identifier) platform that utilizes four distinct photoluminescence (PL) emission peaks generated from two cadmium-free CIS/ZnS QDs formulations deposited side-by-side. Under multiwavelength excitation, each of them exhibits a dual-peak emission response, yielding a combined four-peak, multiexcitation spectral profile. By extracting the wavelength, full width at half-maximum, and intensity from each peak across nine excitation wavelengths, we obtain 108 independent spectral features, which are converted into a 216-bit binary fingerprint. This work incorporates a features fusion strategy that compresses multidimensional spectral descriptors into compact, discriminative digital features, enabling stable, high-entropy encoding from complex PL emission behavior. Comprehensive statistical analysis demonstrates strong uniqueness with a mean inter-Hamming distance of 0.512 ± 0.028, a wide collision margin of 99-123 differing bits, and repeatability with near-zero intra-tag variation. Bit-level randomness metrics confirm near-ideal statistical behavior after binarization. The four-peaks architecture therefore represents a significant advancement over single-peak or dual-peaks luminescent PUFs, enabling dense, high-entropy fingerprints from cadmium-free materials while remaining compatible with typical readout hardware. This work establishes a foundation for next-generation optical authentication technologies using multipeak QDs emitters.
High-Capacity Optical Fingerprinting Using Dual-Peak Photoluminescence of Quantum Dots Syeda Ramsha Ali, Stephen V. Kershaw, Yinglong Zhu, Ahmed A. Z. Dawoud, Yueyu Guo, Kees De Groot, Nema M. Abdelazim ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2026 Counterfeiting and unauthorized duplication continue to pose significant threats across industries, ranging from electronics to pharmaceuticals. In response to this challenge, we present a novel optical fingerprinting platform based on cadmium-free CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots (QDs), which exhibit a distinctive dual-peak photoluminescence (PL) signature. Time-resolved PL (TRPL) analysis confirms the distinct recombination origins of the two peaks, supporting the assignment to core- and interfacial/shell-related states. Our approach extracts two intrinsically coupled emissions from a single QD type, where both peaks originate within the same nanostructure, making the fingerprint inherently unclonable. This phenomenon enables the generation of rich tunable spectral profiles across a selected range of excitation wavelengths. Using spectral-to-digital processing, we extracted three features from both emission peaks under 10 excitation wavelengths to generate binary fingerprints. The resulting theoretical encoding capacity is estimated to be 1.2 × 1018 compared to an experimental error probability of ∼3 × 10–17. These findings validate the strength and security of the proposed fingerprinting system, highlighting its practical potential for anticounterfeiting applications.
Illuminating Advances in Materials: Optical Physical Unclonable Functions for Security Applications Syeda Ramsha Ali, Stephen V. Kershaw, Mian Muhammad Faisal, Basel Halak, Nema M. Abdelazim Advanced Optical Materials, 2025 A physical unclonable function (PUF) device leverages manufacturing randomness to generate a unique fingerprint for secure authentication, encryption, and counterfeit prevention. Optical PUFs (OPUFs) have gained prominence due to their strong security, light‐based challenge‐response mechanisms, and potential for quantum‐secure encryption. These devices have promising applications for hardware security, authentication, cryptographic key generation, and anti‐counterfeiting measures across multiple industries. This review enlightens the diverse material platforms used for OPUFs, ranging from fiber optics and liquid crystals to advanced semiconductor nanocrystals and plasmonic metasurfaces, each offering distinct optical characteristics that impact security strength. While no single material system dominates the field, hybrid and multi‐model approaches integrating low‐dimensional materials are being explored to enhance reliability and scalability. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives are outlined, including adaptive OPUFs architectures, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) for challenge‐response generation, and their integration into quantum communication networks, highlighting how next‐generation semiconductor materials can further advance OPUFs technologies.
Large-Area Electrodeposited WSe2 over Graphene Electrodes for Optoelectronics Jiapei Zhang, Shibin Thomas, Ahmad Nizamuddin Muhammad Mustafa, Victoria Greenacre, Nikolay Zhelev, Syeda Ramsha Ali, Yisong Han, Shaokai Song, Hongwei Zhang, Aiden Graham, Nema M. Abdelazim, Sami Ramadan, Richard Beanland, Gillian Reid, Philip N. Bartlett, Kees de Groot, Yasir J. Noori ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2025 over graphene for electronic and optoelectronic applications.
Quantum-Driven Optical Security: A Hybrid Experimental-Computational Framework for Unclonable Authentication Syeda Ramsha Ali, Nema Abdelazim Proceedings of SPIE the International Society for Optical Engineering, 2025 Ensuring secure authentication is a critical challenge in modern security applications. This study presents a novel approach utilizing the photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of non-toxic quantum dots (QDs) to generate unique optical fingerprints. PL measurements capture emission properties, which are processed through computational algorithms to extract distinct security identifiers. The results demonstrate that this method offers highly distinctive and reproducible optical signatures for authentication and anti-counterfeiting applications. By integrating experimental and computational techniques, this approach enhances precision and security. Future work will focus on optimizing stability and scalability for real-world deployment in secure authentication systems.
Ultraviolet-light-driven current modulation of Au/WS2/Gr Schottky barrier Muhammad Zahir Iqbal, Mian Muhammad Faisal, Amir Muhammad Afzal, Syed Shabhi Haider, Syeda Ramsha Ali, Muhammad Arshad Kamran, Thamer Alharbi, Tassadaq Hussain Physica E Low Dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, 2020
Multispectral Quantum Dot Tags for Advanced Anticounterfeiting Applications SR Ali, Y Guo, S Sarkar, K de Groot, NM Abdelazim ACS Applied Nano Materials , 2026 2026
High-Capacity Optical Fingerprinting Using Dual-Peak Photoluminescence of Quantum Dots SR Ali, SV Kershaw, Y Zhu, AAZ Dawoud, Y Guo, K De Groot, ... ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 18 (1), 3086-3101 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Illuminating Advances in Materials: Optical Physical Unclonable Functions for Security Applications SR Ali, SV Kershaw, MM Faisal, B Halak, NM Abdelazim Advanced Optical Materials, e01564 , 2025 2025 Citations: 12
Quantum-driven optical security: a hybrid experimental-computational framework for unclonable authentication SR Ali, NM Abdelazim Digital Optical Technologies 2025 13573, 90-93 , 2025 2025
Improved Surface Chemistry for Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Zinc-Tin-Sulphide@ CNTs MM Faisal, SR Ali, KC Sanal Materials Research Bulletin, 113706 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Tungsten carbide as an electrode material for electrochemical energy storage devices: Experiment and theory MM Faisal, SR Ali, G Hussain, C Autieri, EM Sánchez, AT Castro, ... Ceramics International 51 (14), 18886-18895 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Large-Area Electrodeposited WSe 2 over Graphene Electrodes for Optoelectronics J Zhang, S Thomas, AN Muhammad Mustafa, V Greenacre, N Zhelev, ... ACS Applied Nano Materials 8 (21), 10842-10850 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Hydrothermally grown hollandite manganese dioxide nanorods: evaluation of supercapattery performance and photocatalytic efficiency NS George, SR Ali, R Babu, LM Jose, R Jayavel, KC Sanal, H MP, ... Ionics 30 (8), 4931-4949 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Carbon from Pre‐Treated Biomass SR Ali, MM Faisal, KC Sanal Biomass‐Based Supercapacitors: Design, Fabrication and Sustainability, 121-142 , 2023 2023 Citations: 1
Anomalous electrochemical performance of binary silver–strontium phosphate-based electrode material in supercapattery SR Ali, MM Faisal, SL Loredo, SK Gadi, KC Sanal Ceramics International 49 (11), 18311-18321 , 2023 2023 Citations: 9
Mesoporous silver‐cobalt‐phosphate nanostructures synthesized via hydrothermal and solid‐state reaction for supercapattery devices SR Ali, MM Faisal, S Pushpan, NP Aguilar, KK Singh, A Cerdán‐Pasarán, ... International Journal of Energy Research 46 (15), 23757-23774 , 2022 2022 Citations: 15
Hydrothermally assisted zinc phosphate doped with polyaniline for high-performance supercapattery devices MZ Iqbal, SR Ali, MM Faisal, S Siddique, S Aftab, M Alzaid Materials Chemistry and Physics 291, 126638 , 2022 2022 Citations: 9
Redox-active anomalous electrochemical performance of mesoporous nickel manganese sulfide nanomaterial as an anode material for supercapattery devices MM Faisal, SR Ali, SS Shah, MW Iqbal, S Pushpan, MA Aziz, NP Aguilar, ... Ceramics International 48 (19), 28565-28577 , 2022 2022 Citations: 61
Diffusion control and surface control mechanism in hierarchical nanostructured porous zinc‐based MOF material for supercapattery SR Ali, MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, M Alzaid International Journal of Energy Research 46 (10), 14424-14435 , 2022 2022 Citations: 49
Effect of binder on the performance of zinc‐tin‐sulfide nano flakes for the high‐performance supercapattery devices MM Faisal, SR Ali, S Pushpan, KK Singh, N Pineda‐Aguilar, EM Sanchez, ... International Journal of Energy Research 46 (9), 12787-12803 , 2022 2022 Citations: 18
Effect of polyaniline on the performance of zinc phosphate as a battery-grade material for supercapattery MM Faisal, SR Ali, MZ Iqbal, MW Iqbal, A Numan, KC Sanal Journal of Energy Storage 44, 103329 , 2021 2021 Citations: 75
Impact of carbon-based charge transporting layer on the performance of perovskite solar cells SR Ali, MM Faisal, KC Sanal, MW Iqbal Solar Energy 221, 254-274 , 2021 2021 Citations: 19
Highly porous terpolymer-MOF composite electrode material for high performance supercapattery devices MM Faisal, SR Ali, KC Sanal, MW Iqbal, MZ Iqbal, A Saeed Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 115321 , 2021 2021 Citations: 40
Impact of drying temperature on the photovoltaic performance and impedance spectra of hole transport material free air processed perovskite solar cells I Sardar, MH Sayyad, SR Ali, M Akhtar, SAA Shah, Z Guo Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics 32 (5), 5353-5360 , 2021 2021 Citations: 1
Integration of supercapacitors and batteries towards high‐performance hybrid energy storage devices MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, SR Ali International Journal of Energy Research 45 (2), 1449-1479 , 2021 2021 Citations: 166
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Co-MOF/polyaniline-based electrode material for high performance supercapattery devices MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, SR Ali, S Farid, AM Afzal Electrochimica Acta 346, 136039 , 2020 2020 Citations: 281
Integration of supercapacitors and batteries towards high‐performance hybrid energy storage devices MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, SR Ali International Journal of Energy Research 45 (2), 1449-1479 , 2021 2021 Citations: 166
Capacitive and diffusive contribution in strontium phosphide-polyaniline based supercapattery MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, M Sulman, SR Ali, AM Afzal, MA Kamran, T Alharbi Journal of Energy Storage 29, 101324 , 2020 2020 Citations: 164
Strontium phosphide-polyaniline composites for high performance supercapattery devices MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, SR Ali, AM Afzal, MRA Karim, MA Kamran, T Alharbi Ceramics International 46 (8), 10203-10214 , 2020 2020 Citations: 153
Progress in dye sensitized solar cell by incorporating natural photosensitizers MZ Iqbal, SR Ali, S Khan Solar Energy 181, 490-509 , 2019 2019 Citations: 137
Hydrothermally synthesized zinc phosphate-rGO composites for supercapattery devices MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, SR Ali, AM Afzal Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 871, 114299 , 2020 2020 Citations: 104
A facile approach to investigate the charge storage mechanism of MOF/PANI based supercapattery devices MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, SR Ali, M Alzaid Solid State Ionics 354, 115411 , 2020 2020 Citations: 101
Effect of polyaniline on the performance of zinc phosphate as a battery-grade material for supercapattery MM Faisal, SR Ali, MZ Iqbal, MW Iqbal, A Numan, KC Sanal Journal of Energy Storage 44, 103329 , 2021 2021 Citations: 75
Facile synthesis of strontium oxide/polyaniline/graphene composite for the high-performance supercapattery devices MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, M Sulman, SR Ali, M Alzaid Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 879, 114812 , 2020 2020 Citations: 66
Redox-active anomalous electrochemical performance of mesoporous nickel manganese sulfide nanomaterial as an anode material for supercapattery devices MM Faisal, SR Ali, SS Shah, MW Iqbal, S Pushpan, MA Aziz, NP Aguilar, ... Ceramics International 48 (19), 28565-28577 , 2022 2022 Citations: 61
Diffusion control and surface control mechanism in hierarchical nanostructured porous zinc‐based MOF material for supercapattery SR Ali, MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, M Alzaid International Journal of Energy Research 46 (10), 14424-14435 , 2022 2022 Citations: 49
Highly porous terpolymer-MOF composite electrode material for high performance supercapattery devices MM Faisal, SR Ali, KC Sanal, MW Iqbal, MZ Iqbal, A Saeed Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 115321 , 2021 2021 Citations: 40
Impact of carbon-based charge transporting layer on the performance of perovskite solar cells SR Ali, MM Faisal, KC Sanal, MW Iqbal Solar Energy 221, 254-274 , 2021 2021 Citations: 19
Effect of binder on the performance of zinc‐tin‐sulfide nano flakes for the high‐performance supercapattery devices MM Faisal, SR Ali, S Pushpan, KK Singh, N Pineda‐Aguilar, EM Sanchez, ... International Journal of Energy Research 46 (9), 12787-12803 , 2022 2022 Citations: 18
Mesoporous silver‐cobalt‐phosphate nanostructures synthesized via hydrothermal and solid‐state reaction for supercapattery devices SR Ali, MM Faisal, S Pushpan, NP Aguilar, KK Singh, A Cerdán‐Pasarán, ... International Journal of Energy Research 46 (15), 23757-23774 , 2022 2022 Citations: 15
Illuminating Advances in Materials: Optical Physical Unclonable Functions for Security Applications SR Ali, SV Kershaw, MM Faisal, B Halak, NM Abdelazim Advanced Optical Materials, e01564 , 2025 2025 Citations: 12
Hydrothermally grown hollandite manganese dioxide nanorods: evaluation of supercapattery performance and photocatalytic efficiency NS George, SR Ali, R Babu, LM Jose, R Jayavel, KC Sanal, H MP, ... Ionics 30 (8), 4931-4949 , 2024 2024 Citations: 11
Anomalous electrochemical performance of binary silver–strontium phosphate-based electrode material in supercapattery SR Ali, MM Faisal, SL Loredo, SK Gadi, KC Sanal Ceramics International 49 (11), 18311-18321 , 2023 2023 Citations: 9
Hydrothermally assisted zinc phosphate doped with polyaniline for high-performance supercapattery devices MZ Iqbal, SR Ali, MM Faisal, S Siddique, S Aftab, M Alzaid Materials Chemistry and Physics 291, 126638 , 2022 2022 Citations: 9
Ultraviolet-light-driven current modulation of Au/WS2/Gr Schottky barrier MZ Iqbal, MM Faisal, AM Afzal, SS Haider, SR Ali, MA Kamran, T Alharbi, ... Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures 117, 113837 , 2020 2020 Citations: 9