Novel fluorescent label based on YVO4: Bi3+, Eu3+ for latent fingerprint detection

Nano-phosphors are believed to hold tremendous prospect in latent fingerprint imaging. In this paper, a YVO4: Bi3+ Eu3+ phosphor with uniform size distribution similar to 22 nm is synthesized via a micro-emulsion method. Due to the strong fluorescent emission and small particle size, adopting the phosphor as fingerprint fluorescent label demonstrates the clear and well defined papillary ridges of fingerprint with high sensitivity, high contrast, and no/low background interference, proving that YVO4: 0.1Bi(3+), 0.05Eu(3+) is a promising latent fingerprint fluorescent label and can find application in forensic science and individual identification. Besides, the microstructure, electronic structure, and luminescent property of the phosphor are also characterized and studied comprehensively.