Fluorescent films based on PVDF doped with carbon dots for evaluation of UVA protection of sunscreens and fabrication of cool white LEDs.

The ultraviolet-A (UVA) radiation from sunlight that reaches the earth's surface can induce premature aging, immunosuppression, and skin cancer. Commercial sunscreen products offer limited information regarding protection against UVA light. Therefore, proposing new and practical alternatives to evaluate the UVA protection capacity of commercial sunscreens is highly imperative.

A Capacitive Humidity Sensor Based on an Electrospun PVDF/Graphene Membrane.

Humidity sensors have been widely used in areas such as agriculture, environmental conservation, medicine, instrumentation and climatology. Hydrophobicity is one of the important factors in capacitive humidity sensors: recent research has shown that the inclusion of graphene (G) in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) improves its hydrophobicity. In this context, a methodology to fabricate electrospun membranes of PVDF blended with G was developed in order to improve the PVDF properties allowing the use of PVDF/G membrane as a capacitive humidity sensor.

Electrically insulated sensing of respiratory rate and heartbeat using optical fibers.

Respiratory and heart rates are among the most important physiological parameters used to monitor patients' health. It is important to design devices that can measure these parameters without risking or altering the subject's health. In this context, a novel sensing method to monitor simultaneously the heartbeat and respiratory rate signals of patients within an electrically safety environment was developed and tested.