Dirty kitchen windows can be a refuge for toxic pollutants

Under the fatty acid protective film of cooking emissions, dirty windows can hide potentially harmful pollutants — pollutants that can stay on windows for long periods of time

According to a new study led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, the fatty acids contained in cooking emissions are highly stable and do not easily break down

This means that when they hit a solid surface, such as a window, they form a layer of self-organizing thin film that gradually forms over time and only decomposes

Senior author Dr Christian Pfrand said: "The fatty acids in these films are not particularly harmful in themselves, but because they are not decomposed, they are effective in protecting against other contaminants

The study was published on the cover

The team is dedicated to laboratory "agents" – samples of materials designed in the lab to get close to "real-world" samples

The researchers used neutrons and X-rays to study changes

They found that the self-organizing arrangement of the thin films in the repeating molecular flakes — the so-called layered phases — makes it difficult for small molecules like ozone to access the active parts

The evolution of surface structure during simulated atmospheric ageing of nano-scale coatings of an organic surfactant aerosol proxy