Smart IoT enabled interactive self-powered security tag designed with functionalized paper

Self-powered devices are the need of the hour for future technologies and next-generation electronics that require both smartness and sustainability. Here, we have presented an ultra-thin (~ 0.18 mm) self-powered paper-based prototype as a touch-interactive electronic tag for next-generation Internet of Things (IoT) enabling smart security applications. A touch-interactive power paper (TiPP) was developed using in-situ polymerization followed by painting an electrode layer of graphite/silver onto it. Thus, a simple piece of paper was used for energy harvesting without having any physical separation from the electrode of the system. It instantaneously generated an electrical signal of 0.91 W m⁻² due to a mechano-responsive charge transfer mechanism. Apart from using conventional electrode materials, graphite pencils were also utilized towards a more simple, environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach. Further, different arrays of TiPP have been designed to create a unique coding system (high/low signal) that can simultaneously enable self-powered sensing and an identification system. This is exhibited by a rapid but simple signal processing method used in several applications like R-G-B color codes, personal ID cards and product identification tags. A straightforward signal processing circuit that includes an effective simulation, is demonstrated to validate the working principle of such self-powered security identification tags.