Functional inks bring additional information, entertainment to products

Traceable consumer products and entertaining solutions are about to become part of our everyday lives, particularly in food packaging or, say, textiles and household appliances. For example, using a code a mug can notify a consumer of the temperature of a drink, or packaging can notify of the ‘best before’ date and the product origin and country of production. Functional inks may help advance this technology, scientists say.