Toward Surface-Enhanced Raman Imaging of Latent Fingerprints

• NCJ Number: 232880
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 55 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2010 Pages: 1462-1470
• Author(s): R. Maggie Connatser, Ph.D.; Sharka M. Prokes, Ph.D.; Orest J. Glembocki, Ph.D.; Rebecca L. Schuler, B.S.; Charles W. Gardner, Ph.D.; Samuel A. Lewis, Sr., M.S.; Linda A. Lewis, Ph.D.
• Date Published: November 2010
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented in part at the International Association for Identification Annual Conference, August 17-22, 2008, in Louisville, KY.

Annotation

This study examined the surface-enhanced Raman imaging of latent fingerprints.

Abstract

Exposure to light or heat, or simply a dearth of fingerprint material, renders some latent fingerprints undetectable using conventional methods. This study begins 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. (Published Abstract)