Latent Fingerprint Enhancement on Metallic Surfaces Using Electroactive Film Deposition Combined with Electrochemically Driven Dye Encapsulation
Authors: Hillman A. Robert , Lane Hannah , Skidmore Kayleigh , Ula Mariyam , Ribeiro Adriana , Mangueira Lima de Assis Alexandro 
Published: July 2022

Criminal investigations require establishment of the identities of suspects, victims and witnesses. The most common physical evidence that accomplishes this is a fingermark: it is unique to an individual and time-invariant. Its presence can establish contact between an individual and an object or place the individual at a crime scene. In practice, most such marks are latent (non-visible) fingermarks: these require chemical or physical treatment to render a visible image. Typical chemical treatments involve interaction of a reagent (powder, cyanoacrylate, dye) with the fingerprint residue. Deterioration or loss of residue due to environmental exposure limits the efficacy of these treatments. The success rate for developing a latent mark to a standard permitting a legally acceptable identification is only ca. 10%; this motivates new chemical approaches.

In a complementary strategy, we have used the fingerprint residue as a template (“mask”) to direct electrochemically generated reagent to the bare surface between the deposited ridges, thereby creating a negative image of the fingerprint. On metallic substrates the deposition and viewing processes may be controlled electrochemically. This offers the promise of application to a range of objects forensically relevant to both violent crime (knives, guns, bullet casings) and volume crime (tools, handles at points of entry and metal theft). This templating concept was originally demonstrated using electrodeposited polyaniline [1] and PEDOT [2] films, whose electrochromic properties were used to optimize the visual contrast within the fingerprint image. We subsequently extended this concept through the use of electrodeposited poly(pyrrole-co-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) copolymers of varying composition to provide wider and more subtle variation of optical properties (simplistically, colour) [3]. Through deliberate selection of co-monomer feedstock, polymer deposition potential and subsequent “viewing” potential, one could then pre-select bespoke material characteristics optimized to a specific substrate.

Here we further extend the concept by the inclusion of the dyes Methyl Red (MR), Methyl Orange (MO), Indigo Carmine (IC) or Basic Yellow 40 (BY) into electrodeposited polypyrrole (PPy) films by a combination of electrostatic and/or physical entrapment. The substrates were stainless steel electrodes, upon which a latent fingerprint had been deposited. The deposition medium was an aqueous pyrrole (0.05 mol L-1) / dye (0.005 mol L-1) solution. In the case of MR, sodium dodecylsulphate (0.005 mol L-1) was employed to improve dye solubility. We compare the effectiveness of potentiostatic (0.90 – 1.00 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and galvanostatic (2.5 – 5.0 mA cm-2) deposition control functions. The extent of polymer deposition was varied via deposition time (60 to 300 s) and coulometrically assayed.

Dye encapsulation was qualitatively apparent as the polypyrrole films presented the colour of the dye used as dopant: PPy/MR and PPy/MO films were reddish-brown, and PPy/IC was blue. Complementary to these colours seen via absorbance, the emission properties of BY (widely used in conjunction with cyanoacrylate) are also apparent via fluorescence when irradiated with UV light. We will present and interpret images demonstrating how these all these composite electroactive materials yield excellent colour contrast between the surface and the fingerprint. Specifically, one can readily identify the so-called second level features that, in conjunction with dactyloscopy images, unambiguously identify individuals or establish connections between crime scenes. The advantages of this approach, alone and in combination with conventional visualization techniques, will be discussed.