Surfactant chemistry for fluorescence imaging of latent fingerprints using conjugated polyelectrolyte nanoparticles

Abstract

When aqueous conjugated-polyelectrolyte colloidal solutions containing an adequate amount of surfactant with an appropriate hydrophile–lipophile balance were sprayed onto latent fingerprints (LFPs), the polymer nanoparticles were readily transferred to the LFPs to reveal highly distinguishable fluorescent images, while the LFPs themselves remained intact.