title: Toward 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. 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.
authors.affiliation: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Bldg. 4500N, Room F56, MS 6120, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA. connatserrm@ornl.gov
authors.forename: R Maggie
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Connatser
authors.forename: Sharka M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Prokes
authors.forename: Orest J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Glembocki
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Schuler
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Samuel A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Linda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D020724:Elastomers; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling; D053758:Nanoparticles; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013542:Sweat
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D020724:Elastomers; D012834:Silver