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                            Funding & Awards
 Coupling Raman Spectroscopy with Ambient Sampling, Portable Mass Spectrometry for On-site, High-Throughput Evidence Confirmation on a Single Instrumental Platform
Award Information
Awardee
              Illinois State University
Award #
              2017-R2-CX-0022
Funding Category
              Competitive
Location
                    Normal, IL
Congressional District
              13
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2017
Total funding (to date)
              $298,100
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY17 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2017, $298,100)
As submitted by the proposer:

Forensic evidentiary backlogs are indicative of the growing need for cost-effective, high-throughput chemical identification methods, and two emerging technologies that show high promise in meeting this need are Raman spectroscopy and paper spray ionization-mass spectrometry (PSI-MS). Both of these techniques are regarded for their discriminating power, denoted by the Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) as Category A techniques.

While portable instrumentation is available for both of these techniques, enabling rapid screening of evidence in the field setting to assist in investigative decision-making, neither individually fulfills the two-tiered identification guidelines recommended by SWGDRUG for generating prosecutorial data. However, development of a portable instrument that integrates two independent, validated techniques would enable field-based, yet court admissible, evidence identification, potentially circumventing the need for off-site laboratory processing and significantly reducing the influx of casework into publicly funded forensic labs.

Herein, rapid evidence identification methods will be developed by integrating Raman spectroscopy with a commercially-available, portable mass spectrometer capable of PSI analysis. These proof-of-principle investigations will culminate in a fieldable instrument that is both simplistic in operation and robust to the needs of todays forensic and law enforcement practitioners, yet capable of yielding prosecutorial chemical information from a single examination of the evidence in question. To extend the applicability of Raman spectroscopy to trace evidence, the required PSI-MS paper substrate will be modified with novel nanoparticle materials that will enable trace detection via surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) processes.

This approach leverages unique physical properties of novel nanoparticles for forensic applications, aligning with the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative to harness nanoscale science in solving important societal problems. Principle research questions that will be addressed in order to establish proof-of-principle, performance, and impact of the proposed technology include: (i) Can a nanoparticle-modified paper substrate enable trace detection via both SERS and PSI-MS? (ii) Is the analytical performance of the technology on par with currently established methods for forensic evidence processing? (iii) Can the proposed technology be used in the field to collect court-admissible data to circumvent traditional laboratory processing? (iv) Can the proposed technology be adapted for routine and reliable usage by non-technical operators?

The deliverable products of this project are diverse, including optimized protocols for synthesizing nanoparticle-modified paper substrates, an analytically-validated, broadly applied evidence screening method via SERS-PSI-MS, and recommendations for its use and adoption in law enforcement and forensic investigations from practical and legal standpoints.

Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law, and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR  200.210(a)(14).

ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Rapid screening of high-priority N-nitrosamines in pharmaceutical, forensic, and environmental samples with paper spray ionization and filter cone spray ionization-mass spectrometry
                  Characterization and optimization of a rapid, automated 3D-printed cone spray ionization-mass spectrometry (3D-PCSI-MS) methodology
                  Assessing the environmental ruggedness of paper spray ionization (PSI) coupled to a portable mass spectrometer operated under field conditions
                  Fast and Portable Drug Testing: Dual-Method Prototype Shows Promise for Court-Admissible Drug Testing
                  Rapid, in situ detection of chemical warfare agent simulants and hydrolysis products in bulk soils by low-cost 3D-printed cone spray ionization mass spectrometry dagger
                  Coupling Raman Spectroscopy With Ambient Sampling, Portable Mass Spectrometry for On-site, High-Throughput Evidence Confirmation on a Single Instrumental Platform
                  Filter Cone Spray Ionization Coupled to a Portable MS System: Application to On-Site Forensic Evidence and Environmental Sample Analysis
                  Integrating SERS and PSI-MS with Dual Purpose Plasmonic Paper Substrates for On-Site Illicit Drug Confirmation
                  The current role of mass spectrometry in forensics and future prospects
                  Sandwiching analytes with structurally diverse plasmonic nanoparticles on paper substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

  
Date Created: September 29, 2017
    
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