The new ultralight 18K (carat) gold has the same physical properties as plastic, but retains the metallic luster of gold, as well as being able to be manipulated into pages, say researchers at ETH Zurich. strength.
While alchemists have tried for hundreds of years to turn other metals into gold with no success, according to a recent announcement, researchers at ETH Zurich, the oldest and famous university of science and technology famous in Switzerland) has succeeded in using resin to create an ultralight gold that retains the same level of purity as 18K gold.
Typically, 18K gold will be mixed with another metal (usually copper) with a ratio of 75% gold and 25% copper. But this new gold will be mixed with a polymer resin and protein fibers.
Looks like ordinary gold – (Image source from ETH Zurich).
Nano-sized gold crystals in the form of thin discs will be embedded in the above plastic matrix, creating invisible air bubbles inside, making the whole mixture lighter. Although it is still 18K gold, the density of gold in this mixture is only 1.7g/cm 3 instead of 15g/cm 3 as usual. This also makes the new gold have a density of only one tenth of that of conventional 18K gold.
The new ultra-lightweight gold has the same physical properties as plastic, but retains the metallic luster of gold, as well as being able to be manipulated into jewelry (polished like gold, the researchers said. Normal).
To create the ultralight gold, the researchers mixed tiny gold dust with a mixture of polymer resins, protein fibers, water and salt, creating a gel mixture. The water is then replaced with alcohol and the mixture is placed in a pressure chamber filled with CO 2 , turning the resin gold into a light porous gel. Finally, this gold is heated to melt and shape it to the desired shape.
Not only is it lighter, this new plastic gold has a host of other advantages over conventional gold. Properties such as hardness can be easily fine-tuned by changing the composition from scratch. Even the color of the newly created material can be changed to different colors by swapping out nanoparticles of different shapes, for example spheres that will produce purple.
Moreover, this type of gold also melts easily at 105 o C, which is much lower than the usual melting point of gold of 1,064 o C.
While these advantages are well suited to using a new type of gold in jewelry, there is concern that the public will not accept a plastic gold, as it was unable to favor synthetic diamonds when it was born.
Besides, according to the research team from ETH Zurich, there are still many other useful applications that need this ultralight 18K gold such as making electronics, chemical catalysts and even radiation shields. .
Imagine one day your gold watches or bracelets will become lighter, no longer uncomfortable to wear them for a long time, but still do not lose their luster or make you feel better. The wearer feels less “luxurious” a bit.