¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

3rd - 9th July 2017

We are pleased to announce that ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Chemistry has two exhibitions running at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition this year.

The Summer Science Exhibition is an annual display of the most cutting-edge science and technology in the UK. This free, week-long festival featuresÌýÌýand a series of inspiringÌýÌýfor all ages. Meet the scientists, discover the exciting research and technology they work on and have fun with great hands-on activities.

The exhibition is suitable for all ages, entry is free, no advance registration required.Ìý

Smart Surfaces

Bacteria can be found almost everywhere; in the air, in water, in the soil and on plants and animals.Ìý You can also find them in your house… on your clothes… and more importantly, ON YOU! Most of the time, we live in harmony with these bacteria, however, under some circumstances they can lead to infections.

In medicine, bacterial infections can be successfully treated with antibiotics, however over-use and misuse of these precious antibiotics has led to the emergence of antibiotic resistant-bacteria known asÌýsuperbugs.Ìý In a healthcare environment, bacteria on surfaces can be transmitted by touch and passed on from person-to-person as well as person-to-surface.Ìý This spread of bacteria can pose a risk of infection.

Infections caused byÌýsuperbugsÌýare extremely difficult to treat, and thousands of people die from them each year. As antibiotics are increasingly unable to treatÌýsuperbugÌýinfections an alternative strategy is required.Ìý The focus is shifting toÌýpreventionÌýrather than cure. Here at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, we are developing smart surfaces that can kill bacteria either throughÌýlightÌýor are able toÌýself-cleanÌýto reduce our future dependence on antibiotics

Zoom for Improvement

Focuses on the use of X-ray imaging and electron microscopy to understand heterogeneous catalysts at the molecular scale. Prof. Andy Beale (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº) andÌý's (Cardiff)Ìýstand will highlight how an understanding of catalysis leads to new materials, with a focus on the development of catalysts for the hydrogen economy and sustainable chemicals production.Ìý