Forensic Analysis of Inkjet Inks

Shawn Donnelly, Chemistry (on left in photo)

Faculty Mentor:  Dr. John Allison

              During the summer of 2007, I have been studying the various components of ink jet inks with Trevor Cornell, with the help of Dr. John Allison.  The research has centered around, though was not limited to, Time of Flight Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometry.  Using this technique we intend to show that any questioned document made with today’s increasingly complex ink jet printers can be analyzed for particular combinations of components with spectroscopic signatures belonging to a specific manufacturer’s blend of ink.  There are many other tools at our disposal.  Documents were also examined microscopically for dot assignment along with any trends that may belong to an individual printer or manufacturer.  As the research progressed, our group slowly started to arrive at the conclusion that the initial assumption that the ink inside of ink jet printers would be similar to that of ink found in pens and other writing utensils was not actually the case.  What our research group did find was that as the number of samples from the different printers increased, so did the number of components along with the complexity of the project.  Similar to LD MS, Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption (MALDI) mass spectrometry was also used to detect multiply-charged dyes found in some of the ink cartridges.  Currently the research is evaluating alternative MALDI approaches along with TLC examination of the various dyes belonging to the number of printers we are testing.

Personal Statement   

              Participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at TCNJ has really been an invaluable experience in that it has shown me two fields of chemistry that I have found to be not only immensely interesting, but are also viable possibilities as career paths.  I will continue to work for the duration of the summer and also plan to continue the project while working with Dr. Allison during the academic year.