The usefulness of infrared spectroscopy in examinations of adhesive tapes for forensic purposes

Abstract

Infrared spectroscopy was applied in examination and comparative analysis of adhesive tapes. By providing information about the polymer composition, it enables classification of both backings and adhesives into defined chemical classes. It was found that samples of the same type and similar infrared spectra can be differentiated sometimes based only on the presence of peaks of very low intensity originating from minor components. The results demonstrated that infrared spectroscopy appears to be a valuable analytical technique for discriminating between samples of adhesive tapes for forensic purposes.