Surfactant chemistry for fluorescence imaging of latent fingerprints using conjugated polyelectrolyte nanoparticles

When aqueous conjugated-polyelectrolyte colloidal solutions containing an adequate amount of surfactant with an appropriate hydrophile-lipophile balance were sprayed onto latent fingerprints (LFPs), the polymer nanoparticles were readily transferred to the LFPs to reveal highly distinguishable fluorescent images, while the LFPs themselves remained intact.