Development of dual-channel fluorescent mesoporous SiO2 nanosphere-coated yttrium aluminum garnet composites for sensitive detection of latent fingerprints

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the detection of latent fingerprints (LFPs) using green light- and near-infrared (NIR) light-induced up/down-conversion dual-channel composites. Upconverted yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) was prepared using a citric acid-assisted sol–gel method. After loading rhodamine 6G (RhD-6) into mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs), the MSNs-RhD-6 composites were coated with the as-synthesised YAG via electrostatic adsorption using the layer-by-layer method, demonstrating reversible switching between yellow and green light waves under 525 nm green light or 980 nm laser excitation. To evaluate the effectiveness of YAG-MSNs-RhD-6 powder in criminal investigations, we conducted simulations for different fingerprint scenarios. The results indicated that even after prolonged aging (up to 20 days), exposure to water, or high-temperature baking, the fingerprints remained clearly visible in the images. The detection of LFPs on various substrate surfaces exhibited high contrast, with the details of the fingerprints easily observable even after appropriate magnification. This study opens a new path for green light- and near-infrared light-induced up/down-conversion dual-channel composites for optical applications.