COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF USE FOR DETECTION AND IMAGING OF PRINTS BY SURFACE-ENHANCED SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES

摘要

The present invention relates to a print detection composition comprising nanoparticles having an aerogel metal oxide core covered by a layer of zerovalent noble metal, and optionally, a fluorescent organic dye, wherein the fluorescent organic dye is within an interacting distance of the plasmon resonance field of the layer of zerovalent noble metal. The invention is also directed to surface-enhanced spectroscopic methods for imaging a latent print, particularly a latent fingerprint, by use of the print detection composition.