Last week, Professor Howard Colquhoun and collaborators presented their cutting-edge work on self-healing materials at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London.

The team, led by Professor Colquhoun and Professor Wayne Hayes from the chemistry department, along with Professor Clive Siviour (Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford), gave visitors a very hands-on insight into how materials can be designed to heal themselves after incurring damage. From computer-aided design, to synthesis in the department’s research laboratories, to the production of prototypes for use in car and aircraft components, these polymeric materials have enormous potential for enhancing the durability, lifetime and safety of critical engineering components.

The final exhibition stand represented the combined efforts of a large team, including Post-docs and PhD students working in the Reading labs: Kate Lim, Lewis Hart, Corinne Mcewan, Ben Baker, Tahkur Singh Babra, and Antonio Feula; Ellie Gotay from the University Events Team, and the Faculty Outreach and Access Facilitator, Ben Littlefield; and further research students from Oxford.

To find out more, read the University’s press release or watch the video trailer.