Use of microfluidic reader device for product authentication

A computer program for authentication of a product having a predetermined code embedded therein, said computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage program having instructions embodied therewith, said program instructions executable by said computer to perform a method using a microfluidic reader device to authenticate the integrity of said product having a physical code embedded therein comprising:

• in a micro/nanofluidic chip adapted to separate colloids based upon size and shape;
• said chip having an interface loading a fluid containing said physical code that has been extracted from said product into said chip;
• a series of nano-Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) arrays or DNA nano-nucleotide polymer mapping arrays positioned within said microfluidic chip;
• at least one detector embedded in said chip and/or interfaced to said chip;
• a housing for protecting said chip and providing interfacing of said fluid to said chip;
• a driving mechanism moving said fluid through said chip;
• a power source;
• a computer operating said chip;
• a wireless transceiver sending/receiving data;
• a user interface for operating and monitoring the authentication process;
• wherein said microfluidic chip comprises a set of micro-channels etched or molded into a material, said material selected from the group consisting of glass, silicon or an organosilicon compound polymer;
• and
• wherein said physical code is an authentication code comprising a mixture of diverse colloidal particles, microscopically dispersed evenly throughout a solvent solution forming a fluid wherein said colloidal particles comprise:
• hard-bodied colloidal particles having a variety of physical shapes, sizes, and constructs;
• and/or
• polymeric particles comprising nucleotide-based polymers adapted to be synthesized and encoded with specific base sequences;