Stretchy Sensors Remind You to Take a Break from the Sun Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed stretchy sensors that detect harmful UV radiation and toxic gases such as hydrogen and nitrogen dioxide. The transparent and flexible sensors can either be worn as patches on the skin like a nicotine patch or incorporated into a person clothing.

This research was carried out by Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran, co-leader of the RMIT Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group, and PhD researcher Philipp Gutruf. It follows the university MicroNano Research Facility breakthrough in bendable electronics, which has helped paved the way for flexible mobile phones. Recently published in leading micro/nano-science journal Small, the research was supported by the Australian Research Council.

These stretchable and wearable sensors could be used for an everyday application, helping to remind people when they need to take a break from the sun. They are capable of detecting harmful levels of UV radiation, which is known to trigger melanoma (a type of skin cancer that can develop from abnormal moles). The unbreakable electronic sensors are cheap and durable to manufacture, factors which bode well for their introduction into everyday life.

The research used zinc oxide (an inorganic compound found in most sunscreens as a fine powder mixed into a lotion) as the UV sensing material, in the form of very thin coatings that are over a hundred times thinner than a sheet of paper. Gutruf noted:

    This thin zinc oxide layer is engineered with a plate-like structure that we call micro-tectonics, these plates can slide across each other bit like geological plates that form the earth crust allowing for high sensitivity and the ability to bend and flex the devices.

In the future, these stretchy sensors could link to electronic devices, enabling them to continuously monitor UV levels and notify users when radiation hits harmful levels, so they know to get out of the sun and find some shade. The sensors can also be placed on work and safety gear in order to detect dangerous gases such as hydrogen, which could help warn workers in the event of a leak that could lead to an explosion.