Attach electronic circuits to money to counter counterfeit money

Researchers have successfully tested US dollar, Swiss franc, Japanese yen and the euro.

Modern banknotes have up to 50 anti-counterfeiting features, but the addition of electronic circuits designed to determine the authenticity of money is the most effective way to counter money, while simplifying paper tracking.

Image for illustrative purposes. (Internet source)

Silicon-based electronic circuits are now too thick to be inserted into fragile, paper-thin bills. However, organic semiconductor molecules offer reasonable alternatives. German and Japanese researchers have created thin-film transistor (TFT) networks by ingeniously placing organic molecules, aluminum oxide and gold on paper. The TFT layers overlap, forming a marker with a certain pattern.

All this work is done without the use of strong chemicals or high temperatures, two factors that can damage the surface of the paper, said a member of the research team, Ute Zschieschang. Ute Max Planck in Stuttgart, Germany).

The result is a discrete paper containing about 100 organic TFT layers, each of a thickness of less than 250 nanometers, and capable of operating at a voltage of 3V. Such small voltages can be transmitted wirelessly by external reading devices, such as those that interact with RFID tags that are currently mounted on a variety of products.