Defense Date
2026
Document Type
Directed Research Project
Department
Forensic Science
First Advisor
Eric Hazelrigg
Second Advisor
Christopher Ehrhardt
Third Advisor
Kelly Brinsko Beckert
Abstract
Electrical tape is a commonly encountered form of trace evidence in forensic investigations and has been associated with a variety of criminal activities, including violent crimes, drug packaging, and improvised explosive devices (IED). Despite its widespread use, electrical tape can be difficult to discriminate among the different brands because products from manufacturers often exhibit similar visual characteristics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of physical, optical, and chemical analytical techniques for characterization and discrimination of electrical tape samples.
Thirty electrical tape samples representing eleven different manufacturers were analyzed using a multi-analytical approach. Physical and microscopic examinations were conducted using stereomicroscopy and polarized light microscopy (PLM) to evaluate color, width, thickness, layer structure, surface features, and filler distribution. Fluorescence microscopy was used to compare optical characteristics under ultraviolet, blue-violet, blue, and green wavelengths. Chemical characterization was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR–ATR) for both backing and adhesive layers, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) for adhesive additive profiling.
Physical examination showed limited discrimination, as most samples had black backing, clear adhesive, and widths between 18-19 mm. Four samples formed a distinct subgroup with widths near 74 mm. Polarized Light Microscopy examination revealed variation in thickness and filler distribution, with many samples continuing a two-layer structure. FTIR-ATR analysis indicated that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was the predominant backing material and revealed several different adhesive chemistries. GC-MS analysis detected multiple different classes of additives, including stabilizers, antioxidants, plasticizers, and tackifying resins. The top three additive classes most consistently observed across the samples were phthalate plasticizer, adipate plasticizer, and antioxidant. Fluorescence microscopy yielded 23 indistinguishable samples; FTIR-ATR backing analysis yielded 21; FTIR-ATR adhesive analysis yielded 23; combined FTIR-ATR analysis yielded 16; and GC-MS analysis yielded 10.
Rights
© The Author(s)
Is Part Of
VCU Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects
Date of Submission
8-19-2026