Chemistry research showcased at the Imperial Festival

Investigating infections in the Superbug Zone

The Department of Chemistry has strong and varied presence at the 5th and most visited Imperial Festival to date.

The Festival took place over a sunny spring weekend on 7-8 May and the Department showcased some excellent research in a fun and engaging way with a number of chemistry-themed stalls including:

Infection Investigator: This stand was located in the Superbug Zone, a very popular area of the Festival.  Research Associate Dr Lindsay Evans from the Department of Chemistry & PG Researcher Rachel Troughton from the Department of Medicine joined other members of the EMBRACE team to run the stall. An interactive game took visitors on a journey from infection symptoms, to where to seek appropriate healthcare, the name of the disease, the pathogen responsible and finally what the appropriate treatment for that particular infection was. Identifying the correct combinations completed electrical circuits to power light bulbs or motors, providing visual real-time feedback on their decisions. The game focused on three different pathogens responsible for many common infections (viruses, bacteria and fungi), fun facts and information on the differences between these microorganisms were also provided.

Salts for a more sustainable future: This exhibit led by Dr Cameron Weber and other members of the Welton Research Group gave over 220 visitors the opportunity to make ionic liquids by mixing together two solids and observing how using different ions leads to variations in their properties, including the formation of magnetic liquids. Visitors were given the opportunity to explore the applications of this unique class of liquids, including their use for biomass processing to make renewable fuels and chemicals, in modern battery technology, for separations and purifications and as alternative solvents.

Tractor beams and tractors: This exhibit offered visitors the opportunity to use an optical trap game where beads are chased around a trap using a laser steered by a joystick. This and other activities on the stand showcased how researchers on the NexGenAgriChem project are using molecular science to solve the problems of a hungry world.

Alternatives to Oil: Plastics and fuels from renewable sources Visitors were able to discover how chemists are finding ways to reduce our reliance on oil and instead are using natural resources to make everyday objects. This stall had a number of fun games showing many of the things that can be used to make renewable plastics and hands on demonstrations of how these plastics behave compared to traditional plastics. Further information can be found on the Williams Research Group page.

Fats’ split personality: Visitors to this exhibit in the Research Zone were able to discover why a 'split personality' makes fat molecules key to life. The ability of fat molecules (lipids) to spontaneously self-assemble in water provides the structural basis for the membranes which surround biological cells, the building blocks of all living organisms. It’s a skill that comes from their love– hate relationship with H20 made up, as they are, of a water-loving 'head' region at one end and a water-hating 'tail' region at the other. With a simple experiment that can be repeated at home visitors were encouraged to make use of fat molecules’ split personality to create beautiful complex artwork that they could then take home.

Light, Water, Power!: This stall from Professor Durrant’s research group informed the public about current research in the field of solar fuels generation and photovoltaics that takes place at Imperial College (and worldwide). The Festival gave us researchers the chance to interact with members of the community at large, get the public interested in solar energy, talk about solar 'beyond silicon', disseminate knowledge about solar energy conversion, and guide and encourage prospective students. The interactive demonstrations on hand highlighted real-world applications of both sides of solar technologies, photovoltaics (PV) and solar fuels. We had several emerging types of PV solar cells to showcase and a game demonstration allowed players to control the lighting and power output of their preferred PV technology. Aspiring photochemists could learn about the origins of different coloured lights and how this impacts solar cell design. Solar hydrogen production from rust (hematite) was on hand to show the promising future of solar fuels and the molecular processes of water splitting to generate oxygen and hydrogen was explained using simple coloured balls.

With more than 1,200 alumni attending the Festival as part of the Alumni Weekend, the Department was pleased to welcome over 70 chemistry alumni who registered for the event and were offered a welcome back gift.  As one alumnus said "My daughter loves the spectrometer that she made and we are going to have a go at recreating your demonstration of producing hydrogen and oxygen using a 9V battery and two pencils. As a chemistry graduate myself it was great to see some of the current research from the Chemistry Department"

If you attended the Festival or were involved in any way and would like to provide any feedback please complete our online survey.