Device to detect latent prints on human skin

Washington, May 4 (UNI) Fingerprints can soon help to point the killer as the forensic investigators at crime scene will be able to detect latent prints on human skin.

Using a field portable system being developed by ChemImage and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), it takes advantage of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based agents to visualise the latent prints.

Researchers are working to identify fingerprint components that are SERS active, which involves identifying the fingerprint components that give a Raman emission when using a SERS reagent.

The ORNL team has identified a novel dielectric nanowire coated with silver as the SERS agent, being developed at Naval Research Laboratory, Science Daily reported.

The research team is developing a batch processing method for producing highly active silver-coated nanowires to support a field method of chemically imaging latent fingerprints.

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