> A dust of nanoscale diamonds, blended with one of several possible polymers, is applied to a part or component. Thousands of randomly distributed crystals create a distinct fingerprint, which can’t be reverse-engineered or cloned.. identification is informed not only by the position of each crystal, but also the orientation of each crystal in relation to all the others.. number of possible distinct fingerprints: more than 10^230.. the dust comes from engineered, nitrogen-vacancy diamonds, in which some carbon atoms are replaced with nitrogen ones.. "The random nature of how [nanocrystals] fall, roll and tumble creates a fingerprint that is unique in the universe.”