Release Date 16 September 2010

Chemists at the University of Reading will discuss this week how research into the structure of surfaces and the way molecules arrange themselves at surfaces could have real benefits for common applications.

These include improving the efficiency and selectivity of catalysts that will help pharmaceutical companies produce cheaper and safer drugs, and reduce pollution through exhausts from engines and power stations. They will also help in designing and producing very well-defined nanostructures for sensors and lithography used in the production of high-performance electronic devices.

Delegates from across Europe will be discussing these and other areas at the European Conference on Surface Crystallography and Dynamics (ECSCD-10), organised by Georg Held, Roger Bennett and David Watson (all from the Department of Chemistry). This is the 10th conference in a series that has been running for 25 years. It is the first time the conference has been held in the UK for 22 years - the previous UK meeting was in Cambridge.

The topic of the conference, ‘Surface Crystallography and Dynamics', is at the centre of the research at the Surface Science Groups within the Department of Chemistry. Besides providing a platform for scientific discussion and networking, the conference also provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the research facilities, such as Chemical Analysis Facility and the Centre for Advanced Microscopy, that are available at the University of Reading.