Science & Justice
Volume 48, Issue 3 , Pages 109-117, September 2008

Application of Raman spectroscopy to forensic fibre cases☆

  • L. Lepot

      Affiliations

    • Analytical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, University of Liège, Bldg. B6C, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
    • National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology, Fibres & Textiles Laboratory, Vilvoordsesteenweg 100, 1120 Brussels, Belgium
    • ,
  • K. De Wael

      Affiliations

    • National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology, Fibres & Textiles Laboratory, Vilvoordsesteenweg 100, 1120 Brussels, Belgium
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology, Vilvoordsesteenweg 100, 1120 Brussels, Belgium.
    • ,
  • F. Gason

      Affiliations

    • National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology, Fibres & Textiles Laboratory, Vilvoordsesteenweg 100, 1120 Brussels, Belgium
    • ,
  • B. Gilbert

      Affiliations

    • Analytical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, University of Liège, Bldg. B6C, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium

Received 16 March 2007; received in revised form 9 August 2007; accepted 23 September 2007. published online 26 October 2007.

Abstract 

Five forensic fibre cases in which Raman spectroscopy proved to be a good complementary method for microspectrophotometry (MSP) are described. Absorption spectra in the visible range are indeed sometimes characteristic of a certain dye but this one can be subsequently identified unambiguously by Raman spectroscopy using a spectral library. In other cases the comparison of Raman spectra of reference fibres and suspect fibres led to an improvement of the discrimination power. The Raman measurements have been performed directly on mounted fibres and the spectra showed only little interference from the mounting resin and glass. Raman spectroscopy is therefore a powerful method that can be applied in routine fibre analysis following optical microscopy and MSP measurements.

Keywords: Forensic science, Fibre examination, Casework, Raman spectroscopy, Textile dyes

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☆ The work should be attributed to the Analytical Chemistry and Electrochemistry Laboratory of the University of Liège, Bldg. B6C, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.

PII: S1355-0306(07)00105-0

doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2007.09.013

Science & Justice
Volume 48, Issue 3 , Pages 109-117, September 2008

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