Microchemical and micromorphological features of gunshot residue observed by combined use of AFM, SA-XPS and SEM plus EDS

Microchemical and micromorphological analytical methods have been used by law enforcement agencies to ascertain whether or not an individual has been involved recently in a firearm shooting by determining the presence of gunshot residue (GSR). In the present work, the microchemical and micromorphological features of the GSR particles deposited on the bullet and on the firing hands, collected using double-sided tape, have been studied by means of the combined use of scanning electron microscopy + energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM + EDS), atomic force microscopy (AIM) and selected-area x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SA-XPS). The results indicate that this advanced approach could disclose new micromorphological and microchemical features that could be useful for considerably increasing the confidence level of such determination. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.