指纹在法庭科学中具有重要的意义，指纹显现技术作为指纹分析的基础是研究的热点与关键。提高指纹显现技术已经成为刑事技术发展的当务之急，对侦查破案、维护社会稳定以及保护人民群众生命财产安全起着至关重要的作用。潜指纹是不能被肉眼观察到的一种指纹，需要通过显色或荧光试剂与指纹中的内源性或外源性物质反应才能得以成像。人与人之间指纹中化学物质的组成差异很大，据此可以描述刻画嫌疑人的特征，为侦查破案服务。目前已经发展了多种用于潜指纹中成分及成像分析的方法，但是现有方法仍然存在一定的问题。同步辐射X射线荧光（SR-XRF）和基质辅助激光解吸电离质谱（MALDI-MS）基于无损、多成分分析、空间分辨率高等优点在潜指纹分析中具有潜在的优势。本项目旨在开发基于SR-XRF和MALDI-MS的核技术方法，分析潜指纹样品中的无机元素和有机物，并通过元素成像和分子成像实现潜指纹成像，为指纹分析开辟新的途径。

Fingerprint is today still the cornerstone of forensic evidence. The imaging of fingerprint has attracted scientists. Latent fingerprint is one of three categories of fingerprint that can be found at the scene of a crime but is not visible to the naked eye. Some staining agents are able to be used to show up latent fingerprint by reacting with endogenous and exogenous compounds. The endogenous composition of a fingerprint varies from donor to donor, and it is thought that this information could be used to give intelligence on a donor’s age, gender, ethnicity, medical history, or drug habits. A number of analytical techniques have been used to characterize the endogenous composition of fingerprints and visualize latent fingerprint. The synchrotron radiation micro-X ray fluorescence analysis (SR-XRF) and MALDI-MS are expected to become promising tools in the imaging of latent fingerprint. The nuclear analytical techniques are capable of giving elements and organic compounds composition, and showing the fine features of latent fingerprint.