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Chem. Commun., 2007, 1142 - 1144, DOI: 10.1039/b618966k

Application of nanoparticles for the enhancement of latent fingerprints

Matias Sametband, Itzhak Shweky, Uri Banin, Daniel Mandler and Joseph Almog

Two different types of nanoparticles dissolved in organic solution, gold stabilized by n-alkanethiols and CdSe/ZnS stabilized by n-alkaneamine, adhere preferentially to the ridges of latent fingerprints; the gold deposits catalyze silver electroless deposition from Silver Physical Developer (Ag-PD), an aqueous solution containing silver colloids stabilized by cationic surfactants, to form dark impressions of the ridge details; the hydrophobic capped gold nanoparticles significantly improve the intensity and clarity of the developed prints compared with Ag-PD alone; fingermarks treated with CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles can be viewed directly, due to their fluorescence under UV illumination.

Graphical abstract image for this article (ID: b618966k)