潜在指紋検出用有機粉末の開発

抄録

  Numerous kinds of fingerprint powder such as aluminum flake have been successfully used for latent fingerprint detection in crime scene investigation. These fingerprint powders are hazardous to human health, especially for crime scene investigators, and sometimes seriously damage valuable furniture, electronic devices and precision instruments.
  In this paper, dogtooth violet starch, wheat flour, black tea, green tea, green laver were ground into fine particles less than 80 micrometers using a ball mill grinder. The shape of these fine powders were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and their adherence to the skin ridge deposits was evaluated. Each powder detected a latent fingerprint 4 hours after imprinting on a glass plate, but they did not give good results for older or weaker fingerprints.
  Green laver, which is a marine plant of the green algae family, has a single cell layer structure. An improved green laver powder, produced by freeze-drying followed by grinding, contains a remarkable amount of thin plate particles. This characteristic feature of the improved green laver powder made it more adhesive, revealing even weak latent fingerprints 3 days after imprinting on a glass plate. The quality of lifted fingerprints was good enough to be used for fingerprint identification.