Basic forensic identification of artificial leather for hit-and-run cases.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Traditional single fiber analysis is established for forensic casework.
• A specific case required discrimination of artificial leather fragments and fused fibers.
• Existing methods needed expansion for complex artificial leather materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish identification and discrimination methods for artificial leathers and single fibers from leather materials.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of analytical techniques for forensic examination of artificial leather.
• To assess the discriminatory power of combined analytical methods for artificial leather samples.

Main Methods:

• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for fiber morphology.
• Microspectrophotometry (MSP) for color evaluation.
• Infrared Micro Spectrometry (micro-FT-IR) for component analysis.
• Micro-X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (micro-XRF) for inorganic content analysis.

Main Results:

• SEM revealed characteristic surface markings on smooth artificial leather and extra-fine fibers on suede-like types.
• Micro-XRF effectively discriminated between smooth artificial leather sheets.
• A combination of micro-FT-IR, MSP, and micro-XRF achieved 92% discrimination for 15,576 pairs of smooth artificial leather samples.
• All nine suede-like artificial leather sheets were discriminated using micro-FT-IR, SEM, and MSP.

Conclusions:

• The combined analytical techniques (SEM, MSP, micro-FT-IR, micro-XRF) demonstrate high discriminatory potential for artificial leather materials in forensic examinations.
• These methods provide robust data for linking evidence, such as artificial leather fragments, to suspects.
• The study successfully established a framework for the forensic analysis of diverse artificial leather types.