- For the first time, researchers from Sweden’s Linköping University have created a free-standing one-atom thick sheet of gold, making gold the first metal to be formulated into freestanding 2-D sheets.
How was Goldene Developed
- Researchers first sandwiched an atomic monolayer of silicon between layers of titanium carbide.
- Then added the gold atoms, which diffused into the material and replaced the silicon atoms, forming a trapped monolayer of gold atoms. Finally, scientists etched away the titanium carbide using a solution of alkaline potassium ferricyanide known as Murakami’s reagent (an age-old technique used by Japanese smiths to decorate ironwork) to release the Goldene sheet.
- The researchers also added surfactant molecules (compounds that formed a protective barrier between Goldene and the surrounding liquid) to stop the sheets from sticking together.