Measuring Ultraviolet Rays with a 'Single Film'... Pukyong National University Develops Carbon Quantum Dot Sensor

A film-type ultraviolet (UV) sensor capable of detecting both the UV index and cumulative UV exposure has been developed.

On the 28th, Pukyong National University announced that Professors Yang Hyun-kyung and Park Jin-young from the Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Software Engineering recently developed a "carbon quantum dots for UV-light sensing" sensor that detects the UV index and cumulative UV exposure.

UV rays are essential for producing vitamin D in the human body when exposed to the skin, but excessive exposure can cause skin aging, melanoma, or burns. Therefore, UV measuring devices are used in various fields such as medical and sports.

Commercially available UV measuring devices require sophisticated systems such as amplifiers and have complex assembly processes, making them expensive and less portable. In particular, they have the drawback of not being able to intuitively check the cumulative amount of UV exposure.

Film color change according to ultraviolet exposure time (0~1080 minutes).

Professor Yang’s team produced a film that detects UV rays using carbon quantum dots, a nanomaterial composed of carbon particles.

Experimental results showed that this film changes color differently depending on the cumulative amount of UV exposure, and the speed of color change increases according to the intensity of the UV rays exposed.

Using this "carbon quantum dots for UV-light sensing" sensor, the UV index and cumulative UV exposure can be intuitively monitored. A major advantage of this sensor is that it can be produced at low cost without the need for amplifiers or system construction.

Professor Yang said, “This sensor can be manufactured not only in film form but also in various other forms, making it highly portable and very inexpensive, so it is expected to be widely used in everyday life.”

Professor Yang has filed patents for this research result in Korea, under the PCT, and in the United States. The paper containing the research results, titled “Photobleach effect of multi-color emitting carbon dots for UV-light sensing,” was recently published in the international journal Chemical Engineering Journal (IF=16.744).

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