Published: 11th May, 2024
Context
Researchers from Sweden have achieved a significant breakthrough by creating a super thin sheet of gold, just one atom thick. This is the first time a metal has been made into a freestanding 2D sheet, which opens up exciting possibilities for the future.
How Goldene was created?
- Goldene is much thinner and lighter than traditional gold.
- Unlike other materials, making metallic sheets just one atom thick has been challenging because metals tend to
- To overcome this, researchers sandwiched an atomic layer of silicon between layers of titanium carbide.
- Then, they deposited gold on top of this sandwich, and the gold atoms replaced the silicon ones, forming a trapped layer of gold atoms.
- Using a traditional Japanese technique (Murakami’s reagent), they etched away the titanium carbide layers, leaving behind the free-standing, one-atom-thick layer of gold.
- Applications:
- It can be a more economical option for electronics, reducing the amount of gold needed without compromising its conductivity (as it is thin)
- The technique used to create goldene could also be applied to other metals like iridium and platinum.
- It could be useful in various applications like carbon dioxide conversion, hydrogen production, and water purification.
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