Micro- to Nanoscale Morphologies and Chemical Components of Soils Investigated by SEM-EDS for Forensic Science

Abstract

As a kind of microscale physical evidence, soil can provide significant assistance to forensic science. In this study, soil samples that were collected from eighteen different regions of Shandong Province, China, were examined by scanning electron microscopeenergy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS). The homogeneities and diameters of the samples were evaluated by SEM which has been applied to observe objects at nanoscale. The soil from Jiaxiang, a city in Eastern Shandong Province, showed the maximal particle diameter and the sample from Liaocheng, another Eastern city in Shandong Province, showed the best homogeneity. The mass fraction and molar percentages of nine inorganic elements in all samples were analyzed by EDS. Oxygen and silicon showed the highest content in all of these samples. However, different samples exhibited their own characteristic elements, which can help to discriminate them from other samples. In this regard, SEM-EDS-based homogeneity and element analysis might be used as a fast and reliable technique for the soil criminological analysis in Shandong Province.

Investigations on effectiveness of wheat and rice straw mulches on moisture retention in potato crop (Solanum tuberosum L.)

“…FESEM is often used to examine microstructures of soils to assess their environmental and mechanical behaviour (Mitchell 1993). FESEM-EDS based analytical method is used for the automatic assessment and measurement of the geometric and morphological characteristics such as particle size, shape, arrangement and distribution in soils, which are important for understanding the soil behaviour (Liu et al 2015). Many macroscopic soil properties are frequently explained in terms of micro structural behaviour such as distribution and connectivity of pores, particle size, shape and distribution, along with the arrangement of grains and grain contacts (Romero and Simms 2008).…”