Turn-on green fluorescence imaging for latent fingerprint applications

High-efficiency fingerprint imaging agents with turn-on green fluorescence are promising in forensic applications. Herein, we designed and synthesized an amphipathic green fluorescent probe, PVPOH, which can efficiently light up latent fingerprints. PVPOH was observed to be a kind of fluorogen with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) activity; it displayed minimal fluorescence in aqueous solution but showed strong green fluorescence emission at 550 nm upon binding the lipophilic vicinity of a latent fingerprint surface. The images of latent fingerprints were developed in seconds with high fidelity and contrast. The human eye is highly sensitive to green light, and the aqueous solution of PVPOH is environmentally friendly, making it easy to be used for on-site fingerprint collection.