Skin cancer is a pressing public health issue, especially in rural communities like Appalachia.¹ Increasing public awareness about the risk of exposure to UV radiation and its correlation to the prevalence of skin cancer could change public behavior in a positive way. Such behavioral changes could ultimately reduce the rate of skin cancer and directly address public health.

Wearable UV sensors that provide easy-to-understand, accurate and reproducible results is one possible avenue to impact public awareness and behavior. Our group has developed nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dot/graphene (N-CQD/graphene) photoactive electrodes that generate a sustained photocurrent upon illumination with UV radiation.

The sensor consists of the N-CQD/graphene photoactive electrode and a nonphotoactive graphene electrode sandwiching a Nafion® polymer electrolyte membrane. Critically, the magnitude of the photocurrent response is proportional to the intensity of the incident UV radiation.²

Incorporating the photoactive electrode into a sensor using a solid polymer electrode could lead to flexible UV sensors ideal for wearable applications by the general public.

This presentation will detail synthesis and evaluation procedures for the electrochemical UV sensor. We will discuss current limitations that must be overcome before such a wearable device can be made technically feasible.

[1]. Appalachia Community Cancer Network. Addressing the Cancer Burden in Appalachian Communities, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.accnweb.com/pages/cancer-burden-app.pdf

[2]. Y. Wang, M. Myers and J.A. Staser, J. Electrochem. Soc., 164: H3001-H3007 (2018).