An exciting chemistry lecture for secondary students from Chemistry Professor Stefan A. F. Bon.

Calling all students of Chemistry from GCSE to A Level to university! We’re inviting you to hear from a researcher at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary chemistry - Professor Stefan A. F. Bon, Professor of Polymer and Colloid Chemical Engineering at the University of Warwick.

This event is aimed at those aged 16+, but younger students are welcome to attend.

Please note - you must pre-book a free ticket to attend this event. We are not able to book tickets on the door, or admit anyone without a pre-booked ticket. If you would like to book a ticket to watch a livestream of this event, please visit this page.

Talk description

Polymer colloids rock!

What are colloids, and more specifically, polymer colloids? How do we make them, and what are they useful for? Join Professor Stefan A. F. Bon, chemical engineer at the University of Warwick, to explore these and other questions.

In this lecture, we will delve into the world of polymer latexes: small polymer particles, 20 nm to a micron in diameter, dispersed in water. We will learn about the emulsion polymerisation process as a method for making them. We will look at how the polymer particles behave in water, how they move, and how we can prevent them from bumping into each other and clustering together.

Together, we will investigate how all these processes help to make the right polymer latex so that it can be used for coatings, glove making, paper manufacturing and adhesives. We will wrap up with some out-of-the-box ideas and sustainability challenges.

Event Schedule

15:00 - Doors open; registration, refreshments and research poster exhibition

15:05-15:35 - Lab tours and demonstrations (Group 1)*

15:25-15:55 - Lab tours and demonstrations (Group 2)*

15:45-16:15 - Lab tours and demonstrations (Group 3)*

16:00 - Theatre doors open

16:30-16:40 - Welcome and housekeeping

16:40-17:00 - Research talk, King's PhD student

17:00-18:00 - Professor Stefan A. F. Bon talk and Q&A

18:00 - event finishes

*There is only limited space on the Lab tours, and tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis. If you only have a ticket booked for the lecture, you are welcome to arrive any time from 15:30 to enjoy refreshments and look at a small research exhibition before the lecture starts.

About the Speakers

Professor Stefan A. F. Bon is a chemical engineer at the University of Warwick who loves turning big scientific ideas into real-world materials. His work focuses on polymers — the giant molecules behind everything from packaging and engineering plastics to advanced coatings and high-tech materials for personal care and agriculture.

He studied chemical engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, then earned his PhD in polymer chemistry before joining Warwick, where he has built a research career in sustainable supracolloidal chemical engineering.

Here, together with his team of enthusiastic scientists and engineers, he designs and investigates new types of soft materials by combining polymer chemistry, colloid science, and chemical engineering. They often work in partnership with industry to make a difference to society.

He is also deeply committed to teaching and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers. At Warwick, he teaches subjects such as polymer chemistry and physics, chemical reaction engineering, and colloid science. In 2024, he founded Polymer Café, a community that brings exciting polymer science to students and staff.

Professor Bon is well known in the global scientific community and has received international recognition for his research and teaching, including a Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence.

About the Daniell Lecture

The Daniell Lecture is annual schools outreach lecture delivered by the Department of Chemistry at King's and sponsored by the Chilterns & Middlesex branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Each year, a guest speaker is invited to share their research and journey into science with an audience of local school students. Kickstarted in 1995, the series is in memory of John Frederic Daniell, who was appointed the first Professor of Chemistry at King’s College London in 1831. The first chemical laboratory was founded a few years later in 1834. Daniell remained at King's until 1845 and in 1846 the Daniell Scholarship was founded in his honour. Daniell invented the first electrochemical cell, laying down the foundations of the study of electrochemistry and hence influencing the study of Physical Chemistry. Today, the cell named after him, the ‘Daniell Cell’, can be found in Chemistry textbooks in schools and colleges the world over.

Additional information

This event is aimed at those aged 16+. Younger attendees are welcome, but please note that attendees under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. If you are aged 14–16 and booking for yourself, please check with a parent or guar

Description supplied by the event organiser.