Gold Just Got Even More Versatile: Researchers Create 2D Version Called "Goldene"

Saturday - April 20 2024, 00:21 UTC - 7 months ago

Researchers have successfully created a 2D version of gold called "goldene" using a technique borrowed from Japanese knife makers. This atomically thin material promises a range of applications in chemistry, electronics, and optics. Its unique properties could open up new possibilities for this already versatile material, and the potential for even more exotic capabilities is an exciting prospect for researchers.

For many years, scientists have been fascinated with the idea of creating atomically thin materials. It wasn't until 2004, however, that a team from the University of Manchester in the UK successfully produced graphene - a single layer of carbon atoms - using a simple technique of peeling them off a lump of graphite with sticky tape. Since then, graphene, with its exceptional strength, conductivity, and optical properties, has sparked a rush to find other promising atomically thin materials .

And now, researchers from Linköping University in Sweden have announced a breakthrough in creating a 2D version of gold - a material they call "goldene" that has the potential for a range of applications in chemistry and beyond.Creating a 2D version of gold has been a difficult task, as the atoms of gold tend to clump together, preventing them from forming stable sheets. The researchers got around this by using an old Japanese forging technique called intercalation .

They started with a ceramic material called titanium silicon carbide, which has ultra-thin layers of silicon between layers of titanium carbide. The researchers coated this material with gold and then heated it in a furnace, causing the gold to diffuse into the material and replace the silicon layers. This resulted in atomically thin layers of gold embedded in the ceramic, which could then be extracted using a chemical known as Murakami's reagent .

To successfully extract the goldene sheets, the researchers had to experiment with different concentrations of the reagent and varying etching times. They also had to add a surfactant chemical to prevent the sheets from curling up during the etching process. Finally, the gold flakes could be sieved out of the solution and examined more closely using an electron microscope. Through this process, the researchers confirmed that the gold layers were indeed just one atom thick and also discovered that they exhibited semiconductor properties .

It's not the first time that researchers have claimed to have created goldene, but the Linköping team's method is the first to produce a "free-standing 2D metal." This means that the gold layers are not sandwiched between other materials, making it potentially more useful in a variety of applications. Gold nanoparticles are already used as catalysts for converting plastic waste into fuels, and goldene could have even more unique properties to explore .

The potential for atomically thin versions of gold to have even more exotic capabilities than their 3D counterparts is an exciting prospect for scientists and researchers.In conclusion, goldene is an incredible achievement in the world of 2D materials. Its creation involved borrowing from ancient forging techniques and utilizing modern chemical methods. With its potential in chemistry, electronics, and optics, goldene could open up a whole new world of possibilities for this already versatile material .

The future of atomically thin materials is bright, and goldene is just the beginning.