Nanoarchitectonics of WLC-H₃PO₄–MnFe₂O₃ nanocomposite for latent fingerprint detection

Carbon-based material powders have been applied in fingerprints development. However, sustaining fluorescence in solid substances remains difficult due to the severe emission suppression of carbon-based compounds in solid-state materials. This study is the first to report on the use of activated wool char coated on manganese-doped iron oxide nanoparticle (WLC-H₃PO₄–MnFe₂O₃) as a novel nanocomposite (nCOM) for latent fingerprint (LAFPs) detection via the powder dusting approach. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) were used to analyze this nanocomposite. The nanocomposite produced good LAFP pictures on non-porous substrates such as aluminium foil and aluminium sheets. Moreover, this nanocomposite could be utilized as a labeling agent and could aid in the detection of LFP under visible light by providing distinct readability ridges and high-contrast fingerprint pictures.