Case Studies

Around 12% of electricity consumption in the world is used for lighting. More efficient systems have the potential of allowing Europe to save up to 34 TWh of electricity by 2030, reducing CO2 emissions by 7 million tonnes per year. Incandescent lights – where electricity flowing through a thin metal filament, such as tungsten, ...

The EU accounts for around 15 % of the world’s international trade in goods. Purchases are heavily influenced by conscious and subconscious visual cues which we relate as ‘quality’ in a product. A poor finish on a car, for example, may cause paint to develop an ‘orange peel’ look, eliciting a negative response in a buyer. This ...

One in two people will develop cancer in their lifetime. Radiotherapy, using external sources of radiation, is a common treatment approach. This includes photon sources, such as x-rays and γ-rays, and particles, such as electrons, protons, and carbon ions. Radiation doses must be carefully calculated – too high a level and heal...

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biological nanoparticles actively released by cells, comprising of an outer lipid membrane, and containing markers indicative of the cell of origin, and housing an inner aqueous core. Most EVs are 100 nm in diameter or less but can range in size from 30 nm to a few micrometres. EVs are found in ...

Particulate matter (PM) in air – such as dust, soot, and smoke – poses risks to both human health and the environment. It is estimated that over 500,000 deaths in Europe every year are caused by PM exposure and areas of high PM concentration are associated with reduction in life expectancy of 12-36 months. PM is typically monit...

Ammonia (NH3), a colourless, reactive gas, can cause substantial health damage due to its adverse effects on air quality. Once released into the atmosphere, it can form fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that has been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths annually. It can also be absorbed by soils and plants, damaging th...