Experts at the University of Leeds have created gold foil as thin as one millionth of a human fingernail, which could be used in the fields of electronics and medicine.
Gold foil with a thickness of 0.47 nanometers has been successfully fabricated in the laboratory, according to research published in the journal Advanced Science on August 6. Based on its shape, scientists call it “nano-seaweed gold” . This is a 2D gold foil, consisting of only two layers of atoms overlapping each other with the thickness of a millionth of a human fingernail.
The ultra-thin gold foil consists of only two atomic layers. (Photo: CNN).
Although very thin, it is 10 times more effective than the gold nanoparticles used today, the team said. Gold nanoparticle is 3D with atoms forming mass, while gold foil is 2D and contains only surface atoms, with no atomic layer in between.
The newly crafted gold leaf is very small, so it will actually be green when observed in water. Therefore, the images of the study were artificially color corrected. The team created this nano gold foil by adding a chemical to HAuCl 4 acid containing gold and water.
Gold has many uses. The new ultra-thin gold foil could help develop artificial enzymes for use in rapid diagnostic tests or water purification systems. Gold also helps speed up chemical reactions. It resists wear, conducts electricity well, and does not have the harmful side effects of platinum when used in medical devices or drug delivery. Because of its flexibility, gold foil can be used to produce bendable screens or e-ink displays.
“This is an important achievement. It not only opens up the possibility of using gold more efficiently in current devices, but could also help scientists develop other 2D metals. innovation in the production of nanomaterials,” said Sunjie Ye, lead author of the study and a scientist at the University of Leeds.
“Gold is a strong catalyst. The nanofoil is very thin so nearly every gold atom is active in the catalysis process, which means the efficiency will be very high. According to our data, the effect is still the same even when using the catalyst. Using less gold is economically beneficial because it is a precious metal,” said study co-author Stephen Evans.