Latent Fingerprint Enhancement Techniques: A Review

Abstract

Fingerprint (FP) is a global mark used for personal identification. This study reviews recent latent fingerprint (LFP) enhancement techniques including metal oxides, multi-metal deposition (MMD-I/II/SMD/Au-ASP), optical, chemical, physical, and physicochemical. Furthermore, analytical techniques involved in identification, evaluation, and determination of pieces of evidence, and perpetrators including the SEM, TEM, UV-Vis, IR/NIR, SERS, SKP, DLS, MALDI-MSI, and TD analysis were also discussed. Among numerous LFP enhancement techniques, the application of chemical methods in combination with optical techniques has a greater place to recover FPs with sufficient quality. However, instead of using such a complex and costly enhancing agent, nowadays nanotechnology is using specific techniques used for visualizing, inspecting, gathering, and analyzing trace evidence at the scene of a crime. To indicate using simple metal oxides such as ZnO that have superior fluorescent properties and also that consider both the surface and cost of the materials, enhancement of the LFP is functioning.

Waste Biomass Originated Biocompatible Fluorescent Graphene Nano-Sheets for Latent Fingerprints Detection in Versatile Surfaces

“…These methodologies have several limitations in that not all levels of fingerprints have been established, they are poisonous, have strong autofluorescence incursion, interact with the background, and have indistinct ridges. Such limitations in conventional materials demand a novel, sustainable, and less toxic method to develop the fingerprints, which increase the accuracy of hidden finger impressions, lower their cost, and increase their effectiveness in assisting with investigations by identifying the offender [8,9].…”