Never Lick the Spoon

Ep34: Sustainable Materials: Prof Joao Cabral, Prof Alamgir Karim & Dr Pedro Nakasu

Let’s define the problem. 
Is there a plastic iceberg in the ocean? No, of course not. Micro plastics are invisible. And it’s going up the food chain. Why is there no solution for complex plastics (like nappies and crisp packets)? 
How can we make multifunctional materials with smart polymers for solving grand challenges? 
 
Join host Professor Joao Cabral (Chemical Engineering, Imperial), Professor Alamgir Karim (Chemical Engineering at University of Houston) and Post Doc Researcher Dr. Pedro Nakasu (Imperial) as they discuss the complexity of the life cycle of polymers (plastics) and how it affects the drive towards sustainable waste solutions.
 
HostProfessor Joao Cabral - Professor of Soft Matter, Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial
Joao's links: https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/j.cabral
 
Guests
Prof Alamgir Karim - Dow Chair and Welch Foundation ProfessorDirector, International Polymer & Soft Matter Center (IPSMC)Alamgir's links: https://www.chee.uh.edu/faculty/karim
Dr. Pedro Nakasu - Research Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering at ImperialPedro's links: https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/p.souza-nakasu17
 
Topics Discusses in this episode;
Different types of Polymers and their relationship to waste. 
Challenge in separation processes for recycling. 
Upcycling polymers instead of recycling.  
Fast Fashion and the degradation of fibres. 
Complex plastics (composites) that are difficult to recycle. 
Machines of the Futures to assist with sorting plastic. 
Role of consumers (Cost vs Performance) 
Process of diffusion.   
Smart use of plastics in healthcare. 
Sustainable plastics trending. 
Need for Systems Thinking and transdisciplinary collaborations. 
 
Produced by Annemarie van Bastenhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/annemarie-van-basten
 
Additional Links
Imperial Department of Chemical Engineering link - https://www.imperial.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/
 
Karim Research Group link - https://karimlab.chee.uh.edu/
 
Article: Mapping the Chemical Complexity of Plastics link: Mapping the chemical complexity of plastics | Nature
 
Article: 'Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you?' link - Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you?
 
Article: 'Plastic recycling: A panacea or environmental pollution problem' link - Plastic recycling: A panacea or environmental pollution problem | npj Materials Sustainability
 
 
 

Episode 33. SERCH Part 2: A Display Case for SERCH

In this episode we ask experts in Conservation and Conservation Research about the challenges they face in preserving our history, and why heritage conservation is important in today's times. Do we need more science and engineering researchers in the field of conservation? How is their work impacted by climate change?
This episode is part of our SERCH series (Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage). For more episodes, please look at our episode list. 
 
Guests 
Micheal Paraskos - Profile | Imperial College London Evening Class Manager Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication, at Imperial 
Jasmin McKenzie - LinkedIn Modern and Contemporary Sculpture and Installations Conservator, PhD student V&A, Imperial 
Kate Jennings - Kate Jennings | Tutor at West Dean College Subject Leader, Conservation Studies specialising in Metalwork 
Marc Vermeulen - LinkedIn Head of Heritage Science - Conservation Research, at The National Archives 
Sonja Schwoll - LinkedIn  Head of Conservation and Treatment Development, at The National Archives 
Katerina Williams - LinkedIn  Book and Paper Conservator, at The National Archives  
David Thickett  Senior conservation scientist at, English Heritage Home - GoGreen 
Lorraine Cornish - LinkedIn Head of Conservation Natural History Museaum 
 
Other Links 
Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage (SERCH) 
Imperial Futures | About | Imperial College London 
Icon - The Institute of Conservation 

Episode 32. SERCH Part 1. Do Practical Skills Matter in the Age of AI?

At the Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage Conference 2025, a panel discussed "Balancing Innovation and Craft: Do Practical Skills Still Matter in the age of AI?" Panel members include;
Professor Ambrose Taylor (Chair), Professor of Materials Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London 
Professor Pier Luigi Dragotti, Professor of Signal Processing in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London 
Lorraine Cornish, Head of Conservation at Natural History Museum 
Kat Harris, Senior Teaching Technician in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London 
Hosted by the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering (IMSE)This is the first episode in our SERCH series, produced by Imperial Futures.

Episode 31. ‘Wildfires and rhino poo – tales from transdisciplinary research’.

The time has come to make new year resolutions! How about starting a collaboration with a researcher in a different field? Or expanding research beyond the lab into industry applications and policy recommendations?
If these ideas have crossed your mind, then your new resolution could be to take a transdisciplinary approach. 
At IMSE's annual research showcase, we spoke to academics, journal editors and industry stakeholders to understand what transdisciplinary means and how they are using this approach to solve grand challenges. Have a listen at the diverse projects! 

Episode 30. Sculpting with 3D printing

If you had access to a 3D printer, what would you print? Something fun, something useful? How about both?
Alex Christopherson, a final year undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London and David Samuel, an artist based in Park Royal Design Studios, collaborated to create a 3D printed sculpture that doubles as a microscope and allows you to see a 3D printed Queens Tower 100,000 times smaller than the real one! Engineering and art coming together to 3D print a sculpture.
In this episode, we talk to both Alex and David. They discussed the design and production of the sculpture and how an engineer and an artist communicated throughout the project.
Follow this link  https://blogs.imperial.ac.uk/molecular-science-engineering/2024/09/06/engineering-a-3d-printed-sculpture/ to have a look at the sculpture! 
 

Episode 29 - Happy Women in Engineering Day from IMSE

Women in Engineering day is celebrated on the 23rd of June. To commemorate this special date, we talked to two women in engineering working and studying with the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering (IMSE). Our guests for this episode are electrochemist and co-director of the Molecular Engineering masters, Dr. Anna Hankin, and masters' student and representative of her cohort, Kawtar Houbad.
Listen to their stories on how they became engineers, their current projects, engineering skills outside of the lab - from fixing boilers to building steam engines at home - and learn about the power of mentoring.
 
Link to the Masters in Molecular Engineering https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/courses/postgraduate-taught/molecular-engineering/ 
 

Episode 28 - Fine art and floppy discs

What sorts of science and engineering challenges do museums have in looking after their collections? In this episode I explore how Imperial’s research into data science, polymers and lasers is being used to understand and preserve historical and archaeological objects.
In this episode my guests refer to two chests in the collections of the Victoria & Albert museum. The first is the Mazarin Chest with its Japanese lacquer surface. The results of the conservation of the lacquer have been published in Scientific Conservation. The second is a 17th century embroidered box. Vibrational modelling on this casket was carried out by Kerstin Kracht (Technical University of Berlin) to build a crate to allow this to be safely shipped overseas for display.

Episode 27 - Robots built my battery

A team at Imperial are building a robotic laboratory called DIGIBAT. This will automate research into materials for energy storage and energy generation. Robots won't just discover new materials. They'll also do the laborious work of testing all the many combinations of those materials to find out which make the best batteries and fuel cells. 

Episode 26 - The ingredients list

What do fertilizer, body lotion, paracetamol tablets and mayonnaise have in common? Well, they’re all engineered mixtures, and they all have a long list of unpronounceable chemicals on the back of the packet. How can adjusting these chemicals affect the climate impact of the product? We dive deep into formulations.

Episode 25 - In plane sight

What are the sustainable alternatives to kerosene to power aircraft into a net zero world? And what would it take to scale their production up to meet demand? I talk to two authors of the recent IMSE briefing paper on low carbon fuels for aviation. We talk energy, technology readiness levels and the need for multidisciplinarity.
Read the IMSE briefing paper about low carbon fuels for aviation here.
Read our blog post about the launch event.
Watch the briefing paper launch event and discussion on YouTube.
We also refer to the 2023 Royal Society policy briefing in the podcast.