Microwave-assisted in situ synthesis of fluorescent gold nanoclusters with BSA/montmorillonite and application on latent fingermark imaging

A method for in situ preparation of fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with bovine serum albumin/montmorillonite composite powder (AuNC-BSA/MMT) was developed, and the products were used to detect latent fingermarks. In this work, AuNCs were "grown" both inside and on the surface of BSA/MMT clay using one-step reduction of HAuCl4 by BSA. The as-prepared AuNC-BSA/MMT nanocomposites emit intensive red fluorescence under the excitation of UV-visible light and show stable chemical features and low toxicity. The obtained fluorescent powders were characterized by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy/high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction to depict their sizes, structural information and optical features. Given their environmentally friendly preparation, simple operation, low cost, efficient UVvisible radiation-dependent photoluminescence and good affinity with finger residues, the in situ synthesized AuNC-BSA/MMT nanocomposite powders were used as an alternative fluorescent developing reagent for developing latent fingermarks deposited on various object surfaces (such as glass, aluminum foil, painted metal, plastic products and weighing papers) for individual identification. As results, the developed fingermarks with clear patterns and satisfactory level-2 (minutiae points) and level-3 (sweat pores) ridge details were obtained. Notably, treated prints could be excited by red light and emitted near infrared fluorescence, which was beneficial to avoid background interference and reduce the damage caused by UV light. With the advantages of the simple preparation process and good enhancement performance for latent fingermarks, the proposed method might be used in the preparation of various fluorescent probes for detecting trace evidence in forensic sciences.