Advancing Forensic Fingerprint Analyses*

Forensic chemistry has evolved through the progressive sophistication of methods for uncovering material truths, notably in fingerprint identification. The talk will delve into this advancement, tracing the trajectory from chemical innovations to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) for enhanced fingerprint detection and data analysis. Fingerprinting was one of the cornerstones of forensic identification, benefiting from a repertoire of chemical agents (e.g., fuming iodine, I2) to nanostructured metal oxides (e.g., titanium dioxide, TiO2) for enhanced visualization under varying substrates.

This talk will showcase the precision and efficiency gained by our previous research activities. Earlier data showed that the Chitin-shielded mixed iron oxides showed a 40% improvement in smudge print detection using CNNs-based PCA analyses, compared to graphitic carbon, based on FBI laboratory testing (Fairfax VA). This presentation offers a narrative, highlighting the significant milestones in fingerprint analysis from the perspective of forensic chemistry