Investigation of latent fingerprints on porous and non-porous surfaces using multi-walled carbon nanotube-assisted ZnO nanocomposites

Khapate, Basavajyothi and Betadur, Bhavani and Talwar, Madhura N. and Shirni, Asha P. and Nagaraj, Milana and Goudar, Kotresh M. and Gnanaprakash, A. P. and Pushpa, N. (2026) Investigation of latent fingerprints on porous and non-porous surfaces using multi-walled carbon nanotube-assisted ZnO nanocomposites. Micro and Nanostructures, 210. p. 208513. ISSN 2773-0123

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micrna.2025.208513

Abstract

An innovative, safe, cost-effective, and eco-friendly multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)- assisted Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposites (NCs) were synthesized using a low-temperature solution combustion method followed by ex-situ ultrasonication. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) results revealed that MWCNT doping did not affect the phase structure; however, a decrease in average crystallite size was observed, from 48.14 nm to 37.07 nm. Ultraviolet–visible (UV) spectroscopy studies revealed an increase in optical bandgap with MWCNTs doping. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra at different excitation wavelengths showed maximum emission at 364, 369 and 362 nm, attributed to the near-band-edge emission of ZnO. The ZnO:MWCNT NCs were successfully used to investigate latent fingerprints (LFPs) on both porous and non-porous surfaces. These NCs showed excellent stability under humidity, temperature and mechanical abrasion tests. Further analysis highlights the average ridge spacing of 0.236 mm with a resolution ratio of 4.24 ridges/mm on porous surfaces, and on non-porous surfaces, it was noted as 0.251 mm, yielding a resolution ratio of 3.98 ridges/mm, confirming significant image resolution. These outcomes indicate that these high-performance ZnO:MWCNT NCs have potential applications in LFPs detection.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: ZnO:MWCNT nanocomposites, Rietveld refinement, Burstein–moss effect, Resolution ratio, anti-counterfeiting
Subjects: D Physical Science > Physics
Divisions: Department of > Physics
Depositing User: C Swapna Library Assistant
Date Deposited: 17 Dec 2025 05:40
Last Modified: 17 Dec 2025 05:40
URI: http://eprints.uni-mysore.ac.in/id/eprint/18227

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