Self-Powered Low-Cost UVC Sensor Based on Organic-Inorganic Heterojunction for Partial Discharge Detection

Power outages caused by the aging of high-voltage power facilities can cause significant economic and social damage. To prevent such problems, it is necessary to implement a widespread and sustainable monitoring system. Partial discharge (PD) is a preliminary symptom of power equipment aging accompanying the light, typically in the UV range. UVC (200-280 nm) is more useful than UVA and UVB because of low interference from the environment owing to its solar-blindness by the stratosphere. Therefore, to realize a wide-range and durable diagnosis system, it is necessary to develop sensors that can selectively detect UVC, while enabling mass production at low-cost and low power consumption. Here, a solution-processable photodiode sensor that is inexpensive, mass-producible, and self-powered with selective UVC detection is developed. The optoelectronic characteristics of photodiode consisting of organic p-polymer and inorganic n-ZnO nanoparticles are systematically studied to determine the optimum p-type polymer and its thickness. The device shows high-performance: fast response time (rise/fall time: 36.6/37.0 ms) and high spectral response in the UVC region (maximum responsivity of 20 mA W-1) under self-powered operation. Furthermore, the practical application of the device to detect PD signals with a visual alarm system under UVC release conditions is demonstrated.