Scientists create new form of gold that is almost as light as air

ETH Zurich scientists have developed a new form of gold that promises to revolutionize the way jewelry and watches are made. The novelty weighs 1, 000 times less than the typical shape of the element, yet it is almost impossible to differentiate the two shapes with the naked eye - yet the new shape is light enough to even shake the foam generated by a coffee machine.

The research team led by Raffaele Mezzenga was able to create a nugget that consists mainly of pores and which, under atmospheric pressure, does not conduct electricity. This is because the atomic structure of the invention makes gold atoms not touch at any time.

“So-called airgel is a thousand times lighter than conventional gold alloys. It's lighter than water and almost lighter than air, ”Raffaele explains in an official statement. Foam is created by heating milk proteins that are broken down to nanoscale fibers - the material is mixed with a saline solution with gold until the two materials fuse and create a fibrous gel-like substance.

Various colors and shapes

The material then receives a carbon dioxide bath to reach its finished shape. Although to the naked eye the nugget appears to be no different from a conventional piece of gold, its shape can be easily changed using only the hands in a common environment.

The color of the new nugget can easily be changed by manipulating the size of the gold particles used. “Gold's optical properties depend greatly on the size and shape of its particles, ” explains Gustav Nyström, a major contributor to the study. According to the discovery team at ETH, the new material can be used to develop jewelry as well as to help discover new solutions in the fields of physics and optics.

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Via TecMundo.