Application of vibrational spectroscopy techniques for material identification from fire debris

Kerr, Tanya J.; Duncan, Keith L.; Myers, Leary

doi:10.1016/j.vibspec.2013.08.006

Cited by 27 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…PE was identified by the CH 2 bands at 1062 and 1132 cm −1 , and the diminished backbone peaks at 1294 and 1436 cm −1 . The quality of the identification was 75% .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The resulting library match was 66%. Again, the green portion of the map was identified as PET, by weak peaks at 1725, 1612, 1178 and 858 cm −1 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These were purchased from a local home supplies store, for the results to be most applicable to a domestic fire. To prepare the fused samples for identification by Raman mapping analysis, the burn pan used in previous work was adopted to create three different case studies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies performed by Kerr et al , following on the work performed by Gonzalez, demonstrated that applying a series of fluorescence rejection techniques, such as the use of aluminum‐covered slides, longer wavelength laser, and spectral derivation, increased the number of significant peaks and increased statically the ability for material identification postfire. The work performed by Kerr et al showed that the Raman spectra of these plastics postfire were repeatable and unique by the application of principal component analysis to the data . It is in a bid to increase the utility of Raman spectroscopy that the work in this paper was carried out.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

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Raman Microspectroscopic Mapping: A Tool for Identification of Fused Materials in Fire Debris

Kerr

Myers

Duncan

2017

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Examination of fire debris can provide information about the types of materials which were present at the time of the fire to give insights for fire scene reconstruction and understanding compartment fire dynamics. This paper demonstrates the ability of Raman spectroscopy for material identification postfire in complex situations, such as the production of fused masses during fire dropdown. A validated Raman spectral library is combined with Raman mapping in three fire case studies, to determine the individual materials in the fused masses formed. The case studies accessed material combinations of several common polymers. Raman mapping was carried out on a 10 μm × 10 μm square of the masses. Material identification using this technique ranged from a high of 85% match to a low of 40% match. This work demonstrated that complex masses found in the fire debris can be resolved into the individual material components for identification and spatial distribution.

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“…PE was identified by the CH 2 bands at 1062 and 1132 cm −1 , and the diminished backbone peaks at 1294 and 1436 cm −1 . The quality of the identification was 75% .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The resulting library match was 66%. Again, the green portion of the map was identified as PET, by weak peaks at 1725, 1612, 1178 and 858 cm −1 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 93%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Raman Microspectroscopic Mapping: A Tool for Identification of Fused Materials in Fire Debris

Kerr

Myers

Duncan

2017

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…For different forensic examination purposes, the use of IR and Raman spectroscopy is well established. 21–25 The application of various instrumental analytical tools for the analysis of fire debris has also been critically discussed. 2–26…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic investigation of arson residue by infrared and Raman spectroscopy: From conventional to non-destructive techniques

2020

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Arson can result in highly challenging and complicated crime scenes. Much physical evidence undergoes chemical degradation because of the destructive nature of fire, while accelerants either completely burn or evaporate, and may be present in traces within any of the decomposed materials. To identify the original material and the accelerant involved, it is necessary to use advanced analytical techniques. Gas chromatography, with different detectors, is one of the most frequently used instruments in fire debris and accelerant analysis. Among other instruments, capillary electrophoresis and laser-induced thermal desorption Fourier transform mass spectrometry are two major contributors. Vibrational spectroscopy, including infrared absorption and Raman scattering, is one of the major non-destructive tools for the analysis of evidence because of its advantages over other spectroscopic techniques. Most studies involving vibrational spectroscopy (i.e. infrared and Raman spectroscopy) have focused on the identification of commonly found household materials, while very few studies have considered the identification of ignitable liquids. This article reviews studies based on an analysis of fire debris and accelerants by vibrational spectroscopic techniques and considers the limitations and future perspectives of arson investigations in forensic science.

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Rising Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: Fire‐Proof Magnetically Retrievable Supraparticles with an Optical Fingerprint for Postmortem Identification of Products

Miller

Wenderoth

Wintzheimer

et al. 2022

Advanced Optical Materials

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correctly and rarely meet the required safety standards. [1,2] Frequently, counterfeit components cause a short circuit, overheat, and subsequently catch fire. Manufacturers are liable in such a scenario and face an enormous reputational loss unless they can prove forgery. This topic is highly relevant for forward-looking industries such as electromobility and automatization, since counterfeit battery cells, for example, can result in vehicle fires.Fire-proof postmortem labels could, for example, enable publicly appointed and sworn experts to verify the originality of a product even after a fire. To our knowledge, however, there are currently no suitable marking technologies available to prove beyond doubt the originality of an object after a fire.In forensic science, comprehensive analytical methods have been applied and further developed to characterize fire debris. Examples include gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometry detector, [3][4][5] isotopic ratio mass spectrometry, [6,7] capillary electrophoresis, [8][9][10] or vibrational spectroscopic analysis methods, such as Raman or infrared spectroscopy. [11][12][13] All established methods for the characterization of fire residues have in common that they are complicated, as well as time-and cost-intensive, since also partly complex extraction steps of the analyte are necessary. Moreover, they are based exclusively on the analysis of the intrinsic material properties of burned objects, which, however, can change considerably and manifold depending on the fire condition. [14] Conventional anticounterfeiting features, such as miniaturized printed watermarks or quick response (QR) codes, as well as radio-frequency Identification (RFID) chips, show a sufficient performance during the useful life of a product but are unsuitable for postmortem identification as they are to a large extent not fire-proof. There have been attempts to coat RFID chips with anti-fire materials to increase their resistance when exposed to fire. However, tests were successful only up to 250 °C and the tags are limited in that their components decompose thermally above temperatures beyond ≈500 °C. [15] In addition, these tags are in the macroscopic size range and are not suitable for marking components of electronic devices (e.g., microchips).For these reasons, novel approaches are needed to verify the originality of burned electronic devices. Within the last Counterfeit electronic products not only cause financial losses but also come with safety risks. The worst-case failure scenario certainly is a fire event. Since manufacturers are liable for damages and suffer image loss, fire-proof postmortem taggants are needed, enabling differentiation between originals and counterfeits even after a fire incident. This work presents such taggants: optomagnetic supraparticles (SPs), i.e., complex microscale particles composed of luminescent and magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) are generated. Their hybrid nature is pivotal, as magnetic separation can effectively remove the tags from light-absorb...

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Application of vibrational spectroscopy techniques for material identification from fire debris

Cited by 27 publications

References 20 publications

Raman Microspectroscopic Mapping: A Tool for Identification of Fused Materials in Fire Debris

Raman Microspectroscopic Mapping: A Tool for Identification of Fused Materials in Fire Debris

Forensic investigation of arson residue by infrared and Raman spectroscopy: From conventional to non-destructive techniques

Rising Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: Fire‐Proof Magnetically Retrievable Supraparticles with an Optical Fingerprint for Postmortem Identification of Products

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