Abstract

APPLICATION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN FORENSIC DNA AND HELP TO INVESTIGATIONS ON THE CRIME SCENE ANALYSIS

Ishikesh Kumar, Santosh Kumar, Mukinath Singh, Khusboo Kumari, Dhiraj Kumar, Md. Yousuf Ansari, Kalyani Trivedi, Sindhuprava Rana, Sahil Sinha, Rani Mansuri, Ganesh C Sahoo*, Manas Dixit, VNR Das, Krishna Pandey, Roshan K Topno and Pradeep Das

Abstract

Forensic applications of nanotechnology go beyond using nanoparticles. A classic tool of nanotechnology labs, the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), could help with the paper message found in the crime scene described at the beginning of this article. This device allows details of a surface at the nano-scale level to be seen. It measures the forces exerted among a microscopic sharp tip and the atoms of the surface. This procedure can be used to examine ink crossings and determine which of two lines has been written over the other. This information could prove crucial in understanding certain documents, such as a contract with a contentious amendment. Because of applying knowledge and techniques from natural science, forensic science aims to identify, individualize and evaluate evidence. Evidence will then be used to reconstruct crime scenes, guide investigations and bring criminals to justice. Nanotechnology has been applied towards these purposes. Among the various nanotechnologies, nano-analysis is most commonly seen in forensic science with instrumentations including transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and Raman micro spectroscopy (Micro-Raman). This paper will introduce the principles of nanotechnology, instrumentations, and known forensic applications. In addition, the toxicity of nanomaterials and future prospects will be discussed.

Keywords: Forensic, crime scene, criminalities, electron microscope, nanotechnology.