A cheaper, cleaner and more sustainable way of making hydrogen fuel from water using sunlight is step closer thanks to new research from the University of Bath’s Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies. With the pressure on global leaders to reduce carbon emissions significantly to solve a climate change emergency, there is an urgent need to…

Scientists from the University of Bath (UK) and Northwestern University (USA) have developed a new type of sensor platform using a gold nanoparticle array, which is 100 times more sensitive than current similar sensors. The sensor is made up of a series of gold disk-shaped nanoparticles on a glass slide. The team at Bath discovered…

A biological switch that reliably turns protein expression on at will has been invented by University of Bath and Cardiff University scientists. The switch enables control of genome editing tools that might one day regulate cascades of desired genetic changes through entire populations. This new switching method should work for any protein in any species…

For the first time scientists have created a way to model the interaction between light and twisted molecules, as these molecules transition from left- to right-handed versions, or vice versa. The transitional forms offer a deeper insight into material symmetries and their unexpected behaviour could lead to improved design of telecoms components. Many molecules, including…

A new method to sensitively measure the structure of molecules has been demonstrated by twisting laser light and aiming it at miniscule gold gratings to separate out wavelengths. The technique could potentially be used to probe the structure and purity of molecules in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, foods and other important products more easily and cheaply than…

Some biodegradable plastics could in the future be made using sugar and carbon dioxide, replacing unsustainable plastics made from crude oil, following research by scientists from the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT) at the University of Bath. Polycarbonate is used to make drinks bottles, lenses for glasses and in scratch-resistant coatings for phones, CDs and DVDs…

University of Bath scientists have used gold spring-shaped coils 5,000 times thinner than human hairs with powerful lasers to enable the detection of twisted molecules, and the applications could improve pharmaceutical design, telecommunications and nanorobotics. Molecules, including many pharmaceuticals, twist in certain ways and can exist in left or right ‘handed’ forms depending on how…

The compounds can increase glucose uptake into fat cells and could help diabetes patients manage their disease. They also reduce the proliferation of colon cancer cells, and could be used to reveal the link between diabetes and cancer, which is poorly understood. The research team from Cancer Research at Bath (CR@B), working with colleagues at the…

Researchers at the University of Bath suggest developments in 3D printing techniques could open the door to the advancement of membrane capabilities. This work is part of the University’s Centre for Advanced Separations Engineering (CASE) and is the first time the properties of different 3D printing techniques available to membrane fabrication have been assessed. Membranes…

In the lead up to the World Barista Championships, University of Bath scientists say brewing more flavorsome coffee could be as simple as chilling the beans before grinding. A team from the University working with renowned Bath coffee shop Colonna & Smalls found that chilling roasted beans before grinding resulted in narrower distribution of small particles, which during the…