Environmental concerns are increasingly important and the UK produces 3 million tonnes of plastic waste per year - the majority of which is in domestic waste streams. Despite this perceived concern consumers seem unwilling to contribute to more environmentally friendly consumption patterns - either through more expensive environmentally smart packaging or through their own recycling efforts. We will provoke a debate into the ephemeral nature of the materials used in consumer goods through an internationally acclaimed art installation. The first exhibit will question how materials interact with their surroundings using the metaphor of high fashion. The second exhibit will change the context of the interaction using familiar branded packages. The visual impact of the installation will be augmented by a selection of accompanying audio tracks with an artistic commentary, a lay-persons interpretation and a deeply technical description of the materials and methods. The exhibits will be toured around target audiences, schools and high impact locations, such as art galleries and sculpture parks. The link with high fashion and luxury goods will ensure TV, radio and press coverage. Furthermore, these markets are likely to be early adopters of any new technology.

The current advancement of technology very much depends upon the discovery of new materials. It has been known for some time that combinations of elements not involving carbon (called inorganic materials) can have important uses in areas from electronics, computing and UV protection in products, to harnessing energy from the sun. In particular, when inorganic particles are very small, typically made up of a few hundred atoms (called nanomaterials), they can have unusual and exciting properties. The discovery of such nanomaterials is very much hampered by our inability to make these materials fast enough and then to be able to test them adequately for their properties.The proposed research seeks to develop a new, faster way of making and discovering inorganic nanomaterials that can absorb sunlight (as an free energy source), and use this energy to split water into its constituents, hydrogen and oxygen (in a process known as photocatalysis). The hydrogen can then be used for powering cars or devices of the future. Such a process is important to sustain the energy requirements of mankind on this earth when our fossil fuels (e.g. oil) are exhausted.

The current advancement of technology very much depends upon the discovery of new materials. It has been known for some time that combinations of elements not largely involving carbon (called inorganic materials) can have important uses in areas from electronics, computing, UV protection in products, to harnessing energy from the sun. In particular, when inorganic particles are very small, typically made of a few hundred atoms (called nanomaterials), they become can have unusual and exciting properties. The discovery of such nanomaterials very much is hampered by our inability to make these materials fast enough and then to be able to test them adequately for their properties.The proposed research seeks to develop a new way of making and discovering inorganic nanomaterials using a very fast approach. This project is seeking to discovery better nanomaterials, which can absorb the suns rays (as an free energy source), and use this energy to split water into its constituents, hydrogen and oxygen (in a process known as photocatalysis). The hydrogen can then be used for powering cars or devices of the future. Such a process is important to sustain the energy requirements of mankind on this earth when our fossil fuels (e.g. oil) are exhausted.