Preparation of photochromic solution blow spun polycarbonate nanofibers from recycled plastic for optical anticounterfeiting

In contrast to electrospinning, the newly developed solution blowing spinning (SBS) technology can produce nanofibers at high yield and low-cost without resorting to high voltage. It has been important to eliminate the pollution produced from polycarbonate plastic wastes. An intriguing method for enhancing the anticounterfeiting of numerous commercial goods is photochromism. It has been essential to enhance the engineering process of authentication materials in order to commence a transparent authentication nanocomposite. Herein, we present luminescent nanofibrous membranes prepared from strontium aluminate nanoparticles (SANPs)/recycled polycarbonate (PC) waste via SBS. The UV-motivated photochromic anticounterfeiting capability of the composite nanofibers was explored. For an enhanced dispersion without aggregation in the polycarbonate fibrous bulk, it is required to integrate SANPs in the nanostructure form in order to guarantee the translucent feature of SANPs@PC. Using different SANPs ratios provided different nanofibrous membranes with different emission properties. The morphology of SANPs was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which displayed diameters of 2–9 nm. The morphology, elemental contents, mechanical properties and optical transmittance of the SANPs@PC fibers were investigated using energy-dispersive X-ray (EDXA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The diameters of SANPs@PC fibers were determined by SEM to be between 280 and 420 nm. An excitation peak (374 nm) and an emission peak (517 nm) were monitored in the SANPs@PC nanofibrous membranes. With the increased SANPs content, the contact angles of the SANPs@PC nanofibrous membranes were found to increase from 143.7° to 155.7°, indicating better superhydrophobicity. The colorless fibers displayed a quick and reversible photochromism to green without becoming fatigued when placed under UV supply. The current anticounterfeiting nanofibrous membranes can be described as a straightforward and efficient method of developing adaptable materials to provide a perfect market with financial and social profits at a low price.