© CC BY 3.0 / Periodictableru /Gold crystals
There were earlier quite a few attempts to devise "flat" chemical structures from metals, but the structure of gold, for instance, was far too solid to do this. However, Russian physicists' latest efforts appear to have yielded fruit after they discovered that molybdenum sulphites would be more active with regard to the precious metal's atoms.
Russian scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have arrived at the conclusion that
gold can be rendered as any bidimensional structure by means of attaching its atoms to a special base made of a sulphur or molybdenum compound, with the finding, written about in the journal
Advanced Material Interfaces, expected to be used in the creation of cutting-edge transparent electronic devices.
"We are expecting the sphere of quasi-bidimensional materials to make huge leaps forward. In the not so distant past, they were not available even to scientists. Yet, today, one can indeed talk about huge prospects of the technology that
we have proposed that can be used to develop flexible and transparent electronics. We'd love to see it roll off the assembly lines in the near future, and we are working on it", noted Alexey Arsenin, the director of the Institute's Centre for Photonics and Bidimensional Materials.
Chemists, physicists, and other representative of natural sciences have
long believed that exclusively completely "three-dimensional" materials can exist in nature - ones that have a length, width and height.These conceptions started to change only in the early 1950s, when
theoretical physicists proved that "flat" atomic structures could likewise be found in the world. After a long string of failed efforts to design such a material, the mission was successfully accomplished by a pair of Russian-British scientists in 2004, Andrey Game and Konstantin Novosyolov.
They discovered a simple, but perfectly smart and effective way to produce graphene, a "flat" sulphur form, by playing with graphite bits while they analysed their electric properties.
In the following 15 years, the scientists came up with dozens of such structures, some of which appeared to be even more curious than graphene, as they consist of atoms from not one, but two or even three different components - for instance, "the flat magnets" made of chrome and iodine compounds, as well as rare metal and silicon compounds.According to the Institute's press service, the success was, however, not full-fledged, as the physicists failed for several consecutive years to arrive at "flat" materials derived from pure metals, as the latter do not normally segregate, rendering it impossible to rip away a layer of atoms using the Game and Novosyolov technique. They persisted in their efforts using molybdenum sulphite, in the hope that sulphur would merge more actively with atoms of gold than carbon.
The scientists have expressed hopes that their brainchild will be put to use not only in the build-up of high-tech transparent devices, but will also help neurophysiologists create exceptionally accurate and compact selections of electrodes that would make it possible to plug in artificial limbs and other "gadgets" to human and animal brains.
There were earlier quite a few attempts to devise "flat" chemical structures from metals, but the structure of gold, for instance, was far too solid to do this. However, Russian physicists' latest efforts appear to have yielded fruit after they discovered that molybdenum sulphites would be more active with regard to the precious metal's atoms.
Now makes me wonder about all those gold artifacts from the South Americas..and what about the gold treasures from the Celtic world in the Museum of Ireland, gold pounded so fine. it depicts a boat with paddles and mast, a masterpiece.many of them are flat surfaces,
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I am also reminded of the Great torc discovered as part of the Snetisham Hoard
The Snettisham Great Torc
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Description Gold alloy torc with ornamented terminals. The torc is made from just over a kilogram of gold mixed with silver. It is made from sixty-four threads. Each thread is 1.9mm wide. Eight threads were twisted together at a time to make eight separate ropes of metal. These were then twisted around each to make the final torc. The ends of the torc were cast in moulds. Another masterpiece.
The description below reads to me something more like a bunch of nondescript alchemist attempting to turn gold into something other, well good luck, it has been tried for centuries,
From the article.
According to the Institute's press service, the success was, however, not full-fledged, as the physicists failed for several consecutive years to arrive at "flat" materials derived from pure metals, as the latter do not normally segregate, rendering it impossible to rip away a layer of atoms using the Game and Novosyolov technique. They persisted in their efforts using molybdenum sulphite, in the hope that sulphur would merge more actively with atoms of gold than carbon.