Issue 37, 2021

Fluorescence spotting of latent sweat fingerprints with zinc oxide carbon dots embedded in a silica gel nanopowder: a green approach

Abstract

The construction of low-cost fluorescent-labelled materials is needed to meet the current demand in forensic security perceptions, such as identifying latent fingerprints (LFs). Colossal works of literature are spotted in LFs with fluorescent nanomaterials since fluorescence is among the most efficient identification techniques. However, many challenges remain, including low selectivity, complex handling, nanoparticle toxicity, and high cost. This study demonstrates the biocompatible zinc oxide-carbon dots/silica gel (CZnO-dots/Si) nanopowder as a new fingerprint visualizing agent. It is low-cost and non-toxic since it is prepared using a natural carbon precursor, gum ghatti. The synthesized nanopowder has a narrow size distribution of dots (<9 nm) embedded in silica gel with excitation-dependent multi-fluorescence characteristics accountable for the LFs’ solid-state emission. The effectiveness of the CZnO-dots/Si nanopowder in LFs was examined with UV light, fluorescence, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, and the results are discussed herein. Level 1–3 features can also be extracted using the CZnO-dots/Si nanopowder-developed fingerprints. Additionally, nineteen substrates with different surfaces, colours, and natures were chosen to deposit fingerprints, in which the majority of the developed LF substrates completely adsorbed CZnO-dots/Si nanopowder and exposed excellent contrast and visibility. The findings show that the CZnO-dots/Si nanopowder could be an ideal and inexpensive replacement for other commercial powders.

Graphical abstract: Fluorescence spotting of latent sweat fingerprints with zinc oxide carbon dots embedded in a silica gel nanopowder: a green approach

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Aug 2021
Accepted
17 Aug 2021
First published
17 Aug 2021

New J. Chem., 2021,45, 17447-17460

Fluorescence spotting of latent sweat fingerprints with zinc oxide carbon dots embedded in a silica gel nanopowder: a green approach

A. Sekar, R. Vadivel, R. G. Munuswamy and R. Yadav, New J. Chem., 2021, 45, 17447 DOI: 10.1039/D1NJ03901F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements