Toward Surface-Enhanced Raman Imaging of Latent Fingerprints

:  Exposure to light or heat, or simply a dearth of fingerprint material, renders some latent fingerprints undetectable using conventional methods. We begin to address such elusive fingerprints using detection targeting photo‐ and thermally stable fingerprint constituents: surface‐enhanced Raman spe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic sciences 2010-11, Vol.55 (6), p.1462-1470
Main Authors: Connatser, R. Maggie, Prokes, Sharka M., Glembocki, Orest J., Schuler, Rebecca L., Gardner, Charles W., Lewis Sr, Samuel A., Lewis, Linda A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AMINO ACIDS
Colloids
CRIME DETECTION
degradation
Dermatoglyphics
DETECTION
dielectric core-metal shell nanowires
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
dispersible nanoparticles
dispersible Raman substrates
Elastomers
enhancement factor
fingerprint degradation
forensic science
Forensic sciences
Heat
Humans
LASERS
Latent fingerprints
Light
macro-Raman chemical imaging
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling
Nanoparticles
Nebulizers and Vaporizers
Raman
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
SENSITIVITY
Silver - chemistry
SPECTRA
Spectrum analysis
Spectrum Analysis, Raman
SUBSTRATES
surface enhanced Raman
surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Sweat
SYNTHESIS
TOPOGRAPHY
VIBRATIONAL STATES
WAVELENGTHS
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Description
Summary::  Exposure to light or heat, or simply a dearth of fingerprint material, renders some latent fingerprints undetectable using conventional methods. We begin to address such elusive fingerprints using detection targeting photo‐ and thermally stable fingerprint constituents: surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). SERS can give descriptive vibrational spectra of amino acids, among other robust fingerprint constituents, and good sensitivity can be attained by improving metal‐dielectric nanoparticle substrates. With SERS chemical imaging, vibrational bands’ intensities recreate a visual of fingerprint topography. The impact of nanoparticle synthesis route, dispersal methodology–deposition solvent, and laser wavelength are discussed, as are data from enhanced vibrational spectra of fingerprint components. SERS and Raman chemical images of fingerprints and realistic contaminants are shown. To our knowledge, this represents the first SERS imaging of fingerprints. In conclusion, this work progresses toward the ultimate goal of vibrationally detecting latent prints that would otherwise remain undetected using traditional development methods.
ISSN:0022-1198
1556-4029
DOI:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01484.x