Staff regularly make presentations at national and international conferences, and there are typically about twenty distinguished visiting research scientists working in the department each year. The Department has five major divisions, each with a distinctive research profile. Analytical Chemistry and Forensic Science New approaches to analysis by atomic spectrometry, chromatography, FTIR spectrometry and radioanalytical techniques are developed. These are used to investigate environmental problems involving analysis of soils, sediments, sea and river waters, and biological materials. Advances in analytical archeometry allow the study of degradation processes affecting museum collections.
Process analysis is a developing theme.
Within the Forensic Science Unit, research centres on development of novel chromatographic and detection methods for materials of forensic interest and the interpretation of the data so generated. The isolation and characterisation of DNA from problematic substrates forms another strongly active area of research. The nature of the research in this section ranges from studies of industrial materials at the molecular level to pilot plant investigations of new chemical processes. Major strengths include kinetic and mechanistic studies of the chemical vapour deposition of thin films for microelectronic coating and superconducting applications, kinetic studies of new template and photo-initiated polymerisations, and uses of polymer gels as industrial extractants, as matrices for the controlled release of drugs and as biodegradable drug delivery vehicles. Corrosion inhibition is another major topic related to materials science while other electrochemical interests include the design of electrochemical cells for industrial development, the development of an electroreflectance spectrometer and electrochemical destruction of organic pollutants.