SunDe: Public Sun Detector Platform for Increasing Awareness of UV Radiation

Muhammad Yuliantito Budiono1), Yashinta Devi1), Khoirudin Nur Kholifah2), Adik Miftah Prihartini2)
1) Departemen of Chemistry, 2) Department of Mechatronic Engineering Education
Yogyakarta State University
e-mail: muhammad.yuliantito@gmail.com

Background
One of the most important case near future is the depletion of ozone layer that prevent
ultraviolet wavelength passing through the earth's atmosphere. This phenomenon is referred as
the ozone hole. The main cause of ozone hole is the ozone depletion substances (ODs) like
halocarbon refrigerants, solvents, propellants, etc. Another problem from ozone hole is the
increasing of intensity ultraviolet radiation which causing skin cancer, sunburn, and cataract.
People nowadays commonly aren't aware about causes and effects of the increasing of
ultraviolet radiation. Our objective is developing public education platform which is not only
educating people about causes and effects of the solar radiation, but also giving example of the
current intensity of ultraviolet radiation by using unique method to determine the intensity of
radiation that easily accepted by everyone. The photocatalyst color reduction activity of
semiconductor substances can be good choice for showing the intensity of ultraviolet radiation.
In the last research, found that nano composite CuO doped SiO2 can reduced red colored of
congo red to colorless assisted by solar radiation. By using a chamber that divided into two part
containing aqueous congo red solutions where one side of chamber using dispersed CuO/SiO2
nanocomposite, the solar radiation intensity can be compared based on the intensity of red
color. The platform equipped automation that can replenish congo red, sensor that comparing
color between two chamber, homogenizer, and LCD screen which people can interact with the
platform. The screen explains how the platform work, the cause and effect of increasing solar
radiation, and telling people what to do to prevent increasing of solar radiation. By developing
this platform, it is expected to increase the awareness of people around about prevention of the
increasing ultraviolet radiation and self-protection from effect of it.

Project description
In this project we call our platform as SunDe, the acronym from Sun Detector. It is a box with a
transparant chamber on top of it equipped with LCD screen where people can interact, illustrate
in prototype section. The chamber divided into two part where the first part contains congo red
solutions without photocatalyst and the second one is dispersed with photocatalyst CuO/SiO2.
Whenever this chamber radiated by sun light, the photocatalyst will react to reducing congo red
as organic compound to less complex colorless compound. By comparing these two parts of
chamber, the intensity of solar radiation can be known without any tool needed. So, the people
can know how much radiation effect by seeing it directly.
The platform equipped with standardized color stick which can be used by people to manually
measure radiation intensity. It also equipped with Arduino based microcontroller that doing
automation like replenishing congo red to regain color, timer that count how long the chamber
radiated, homogenizer, and color metering that can automatically measure color using
additional part that based on Lambert-Beer Law. The additional part is mini spectrophotometer
that connected to chamber and measuring light intensity from LED that passing certain length
of solutions and detected using photoresistor. By knowing the intensity of signal, it is converted
into human readable at the platform as LED gauge.
This platform also equipped with LCD screen where people can interact. The screen is web-
based interactive program where people can learn about: causes, effects, and what should
people do about the increasing of solar radiation, and some scientific facts about this platform.
Because of using web-based program, it is not limited contain these features. It can be
expanded to include many additional information like clock, forecast, news, and games about
the solar radiation.

Prototype

Chamber

LCD screen