UV sensor based on polyurethane foam

STRAGLIOTTO, MARÍA FERNANDA; MOSCONI, GIULIANA; STRUMIA, MIRIAM C.; ROMERO, MARCELO R.; GOMEZ, CESAR G.

SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA

Año: 2018 vol. 277 p. 78 - 85

0925-4005

Ultraviolet light (UV) present in solar radiation has an important effect on the health of human skin. For thatreason, we developed a disposable and easy-to-manufacture UV light sensor based on surface color change of apolyurethane (PU) film and examined its performance against radiation received from a lamp or from the sun.The chemical modification after UV exposition and the consequent color variation from light yellow to brown inPU sensor were studied by using RGB image analysis and a reflectance prototype containing an Arduino board. Itwas found that the photochemical modification of PU films increases absorption of visible radiation in the bluespectrum range. Furthermore, PU surface was more sensitive to UV (< 390) than that found in visible light whenexposed to sunlight, which was associated with the presence of a chromophore in the material modified. Inaddition, it was found that the extract obtained from irradiated PU showed its maximum absorption at 309 nm.Hence, the use of this economical light radiation sensor seems to be a very promising tool to determine exposureto UV light from the solar spectrum.