Using ‘Smart Glue’ to Fight Counterfeiting

Glue is everywhere. It holds together packaging, labels, books, electronics, furniture, car parts and medical products. Yet it is usually treated as a simple commodity – not as a security feature.

New research ¹ from the Manipal Institute of Technology, India, shows that adhesives can do much more than just stick things together. By turning ordinary glue into ‘security glue’, manufacturers can incorporate hidden authentication features into their products that are difficult to copy, do not affect the appearance or performance of the product, and are embedded in places counterfeiters rarely look at.

The researchers have developed two types of modified hot-melt glue, one with a single hidden marker and the other with multiple markers.

To the naked eye, both look almost identical to normal glue. They work the same way, melt at the same temperatures and bond materials just as strongly. But when tested with the right tools, they behave very differently.