Aqueous Systems with Tunable Fluorescence Including White-Light Emission for Anti-Counterfeiting Fluorescent Inks and Hydrogels

White-light-emitting materials have attracted wide interest for potential applications in information displays and lighting. To date, the majority of reported white-light-emitting materials have been multicomponent systems that are typically processed with organic solvents. These features are associated with complex processing, poor white-light quality, and environmental pollution. Herein, a white-light-emitting aqueous system is realized by encapsulating a fluorophore, which has a vibration-induced emission effect, in Pluronic F127 micelles. Tunable multicolor fluorescence is achieved by changing the temperature, and the use of organic solvents is effectively avoided. Through this process, white-light emission with Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage coordinates of (0.3351, 0.3326) is obtained, which is very close to pure white light, and its color rendering index is as high as 89. The fluorescence color tunability of this system could be performed in a wide temperature range, rendering it a potential material in optical thermometry. Besides, the aqueous system also allows for the application of the material as a fluorescent ink and white-light-emitting hydrogels. Information could be embedded in paper-based materials and hydrogels through the fluorescence quenching effect of iron ions (Fe3+) on the fluorophore. Fluorescence could then be recovered upon removal of Fe3+ by adenosine 5′-triphosphate. Thus, fluorescent patterning and triple-mode anti-counterfeiting could be expected due to the temperature-sensitive emission, fluorescence quenching, and recovering properties.