title: Microwave selective thermal development of latent fingerprints on porous surfaces: potentialities of the method and preliminary experimental results.
abstract: The thermal development of latent fingerprints on paper surfaces is a simple, safe, and chemicals-free method, based on the faster heating of the substrate underlying the print residue. Microwave heating is proposed for the first time for the development of latent fingerprints on cellulose-based substrate, in order to add to the thermal development mechanism the further characteristic of being able to heat the fingerprint residues to a different extent with respect to the substrate, due to the intrinsic difference in their dielectric properties. Numerical simulation was performed to confirm and highlight the selectivity of microwaves, and preliminary experimental results point out the great potentialities of this technique, which allowed developing both latent sebaceous-rich and latent eccrine-rich fingerprints on different porous surfaces, in less than 30 sec time with an applied output power of 500 W. Microwaves demonstrated more effectiveness in the development of eccrine-rich residues, aged up to 12 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Center for Research on Security and Safety (CRIS), Department of Engineering "Enzo Ferrari", University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Vignolese 905, 41125, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Center for Research on Security and Safety (CRIS), Department of Engineering "Enzo Ferrari", University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Vignolese 905, 41125, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veronesi
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Center for Research on Security and Safety (CRIS), Department of Engineering "Enzo Ferrari", University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Vignolese 905, 41125, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leonelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D004439:Eccrine Glands; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008872:Microwaves; D008875:Middle Aged; D010209:Paper; D016062:Porosity; D012627:Sebaceous Glands; D012629:Sebum; D013499:Surface Properties; D013542:Sweat
keywords: forensic science; latent fingerprints; microwave; numerical simulation; selectivity; thermal development