A Battery-Free, Data-Informed UV Dose Sensor Made of Laser-Induced Graphene and Bio-Derived Electrolytes

TL;DR

This paper introduces a battery-free UV sensor using laser-induced graphene and natural materials for food packaging that can track UV exposure without needing batteries.

Contribution

The novel contribution is a predictive model linking UV exposure to color changes in a bio-derived ionochromic cell without external power.

Findings

A charge-injection protocol emulates UV-generated photocurrent to study ionochromic kinetics.

HSB-based colorimetric analysis quantifies time-dependent color evolution from UV exposure.

A numerical model maps charge accumulation to color shifts for predicting UV dose.

Abstract

This study presents a sustainable, battery-free UV (ultraviolet) dose sensor designed for intelligent food packaging applications. The device integrates laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes, a ZnO-CNT (carbon nanotube) UV-active composite, and a bio-derived ionochromic cell composed of blueberry anthocyanins and a NaCl electrolyte. This work advances the platform by introducing a quantitative and predictive dose–color mapping framework for cumulative UV detection under zero-bias operation. A controlled charge-injection protocol was employed to emulate UV-generated photocurrent, enabling systematic investigation of charge-transfer-driven ionochromic kinetics across five current levels (0.2–3 mA). HSB (hue–saturation–brightness)-based colorimetric analysis was performed to quantify the time-dependent chromatic evolution, and a numerical fitting model was developed to map charge accumulation to color shifts. Using this calibration, the color response at microampere-level photocurrents—corresponding to real zero-bias UV operation—can be predicted. The resulting model enables estimation of the cumulative time required for the ionochromic cell to transition from red to purple under realistic UV intensities. By combining self-powered sensing with predictive colorimetric modeling, this work significantly enhances the functionality of battery-free UV indicators, enabling quantitative dose measurement without external electronics for safer food-supply-chain monitoring.

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