Researchers from China developed a reusable paper that encrypts confidential information. The paper is coated with manganese-containing chemicals, and the printing invisible ink is … water.
Messages printed with the use of a water-jet printer are subvisible and can be unrevealed by shining a sheet of paper with UV light. To remove the content of the message, you need to heat it with a blow dryer for 15 -30 seconds.
According to the scientists, the paper is reusable (so far it can be used again up to 30 times) and the price of the print is only 0.002 dollars. They also point out that the material has very low toxicity and is much more environmentally friendly than fluorescent inks.
“Most fluorescent security inks on the market used to record confidential information are environmentally unfriendly and cannot be erased. The paper is only a disposable recording medium,” says one of the solution’s author, Qiang Zhao.
Electronic media have become an indispensable part of our everyday lives and we progressively care about our privacy and the security of our data on the Internet. However, as Chinese scientists emphasize, the paper is still the most common information medium, especially for important writings like state documents. Therefore, the security of the paper-based documents should be treated in the same way.
DB
Source: sciencedaily.com, theguardian.com
