Tag Archives: Gold

Experiential Entertainment: A Gold Rush Amid Uncertain Commercial Success

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WThe inaugural stage adaptation of the globally acclaimed book and film series The Hunger Games is set to debut in London next week, offering fans an “emotional” and “immersive” adventure for those willing to shell out up to £200.

Located at Canary Wharf’s specially designed 1,200-seat Troubadour, the production will feature Hollywood star John Malkovich portraying the nefarious President Snow, who oversees a televised spectacle of mortal teenage combat. This event is part of a recent surge in launches aimed at tapping into the growing consumer appetite for experiential entertainment tied to successful franchises.

From escape rooms and ax throwing to slumber parties and the Secret Cinema’s recreation of iconic scenes from Back to the Future at Olympic Park, the market for innovative and unique outings is booming. Recent pop-up attractions have been linked to Minecraft, Jurassic World, and Squid Game.

With significant investment flooding into this sector, companies are increasingly counting on proven intellectual properties to draw crowds, often with varying degrees of success.

“We’ve examined numerous immersive experiences,” says Hollywood investor Chip Seelig, who supports Come Alive!, a theatrical venture inspired by the 2017 film “The Greatest Showman.” “Even prominent intellectual property does not assure success. Attracting an audience without a globally recognized IP is quite challenging. We see this as a crucial factor for success.”

Seelig’s TSG Entertainment co-financed and produced the blockbuster film. Before its release, he sought ways to bring it to life through real-world experiences and reached a rights agreement with 20th Century Fox, which is now part of Disney.

Disney also has plans to present its more traditional theatrical interpretation of The Greatest Showman, which is set to premiere at Bristol Racecourse in the spring.

While productions like Come Alive! have shown promise, successfully extending performances for another year at the former BBC Earth Experience site, the commercial viability remains uncertain due to the high costs associated with live productions.

The challenges faced by traditional theater serve as a cautionary tale for the emerging field of immersive entertainment.

A recent report by The New York Times highlighted that none of the 18 commercial musicals that premiered on Broadway last season turned a profit, with at least three that had budgets of $20 million (approximately £15 million) closing within four months of opening.

Since the pandemic ended, only 3 out of 46 new musicals not based on existing, familiar IP have turned a profit.

An additional hurdle for the still-nascent experiential industry is that the gold rush mentality has led many operators to launch events that often fall short of expectations.

Last year, an unofficial event dubbed the “Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball,” priced between $150 and $1,000, went viral for the wrong reasons when attendees were seen sitting on the floor munching Kit Kats while watching a lone pole dancer perform.

Similarly, Glasgow’s poorly executed Willy Wonka Experience, advertised as a “festival of chocolate in all its delightful forms,” garnered negative global attention when it was abruptly canceled, prompting police involvement due to angry families who had spent hundreds of pounds on an event that left children in tears.

The current productions have faced criticism. Ticket prices for Elvis Evolution, which premiered at London’s Excel Center in the summer, range from £75 to £300. It was initially marketed as a concert experience featuring “AI and holographic projection of stars.”

The original promise of a “life-sized digital Elvis performing iconic moments from music history for the first time on a UK stage” ended up showcasing AI-generated “luxury archival footage.”

Layered Reality, the production company behind the show, admitted that the hologram had not been included by the time tickets went on sale but claimed to be “overwhelmed” by positive feedback from attendees.

One attendee described the experience as “absolutely awful,” while a VIP ticket holder labeled it “a shambles from start to finish.”

While some fans appreciated it—one enthusiast claimed to have “Loved every minute”—reviews remain mixed. The Telegraph awarded it one star, while Time Out provided a slightly more favorable three-star rating, noting a “fair amount of booing.”.

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“The immersive arts and entertainment sector is certainly not on the verge of collapse,” declare analysts at Gensler Institute in their 2025 Immersive Entertainment & Culture Industry Report. “Nevertheless, confusion is beginning to arise as lesser quality offerings are filtered out.”

“The current trend in the industry is setting unrealistic expectations, exacerbated by a flood of AI-generated imagery and misleading marketing language.”

Gensler’s report estimates that the global immersive entertainment market is valued at £98 billion this year, with predictions of reaching £351 billion by 2030.

Little Lion Entertainment (LLE), responsible for the Crystal Maze live experience in London and Manchester based on the cult classic TV show from the 1990s, has secured a 10-year rights extension with production company Banijay.

“This isn’t just an expansion; it’s the start of a global adventure,” stated Tom Lionetti Maguire, founder and CEO of LLE. “We’re reimagining the Crystal Maze experience for future generations.”

The success of Secret Cinema, a pioneer in producing events themed around films and shows like Star Wars, Stranger Things, and James Bond, indicates that well-funded media executives remain optimistic about the future of this sector.

In September, news broke that Ari Emanuel, a Hollywood heavyweight who co-founded the US entertainment conglomerate Endeavor and currently leads World Wrestling Entertainment and Ultimate Fighting Championship, was nearing a deal to purchase the parent company of Secret Cinema.

Emanuel’s global events firm is close to finalizing an agreement with Todayics Group, a US-based digital ticketing company that acquired Secret Group in a $100 million transaction in 2022.

TodayTix co-founder Merritt Baer shared that the company opted not to launch any productions last year as it “reorganized and reimagined what our audiences want.”

“Many are throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks,” he noted. “If they fail to meet audience expectations, it can create lasting damage and erode trust in the sector.”

“Secret Cinema boasts a strong brand and heritage, emphasizing its commitment to quality and aiming for the upper echelons of its industry. Numerous savvy individuals recognize that the experience is where the past connects with the future.”

“Companies like Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and others have significantly elevated the standards for both the quality and quantity of content entering our homes. Producers of live theater and events must similarly elevate their offerings to entice audiences away from their living rooms.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Gold can raise its temperature 14 times its melting point without actually melting.

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Researchers deployed lasers to overheat gold samples, measuring temperatures with ultra-bright X-ray pulses

Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Research Institute

A thin layer of wafers that fire laser shots can heat to 14 times the melting point, pushing solids well beyond predicted limits, with some solids potentially lacking any defined melting point.

Overheating is a well-known phenomenon where a solid can exceed its melting point or even its boiling point without altering its state. For instance, water heated in a microwave can reach temperatures above 100°C (212°F) if the container is smooth and undisturbed, but will boil vigorously as soon as disturbed.

Many physicists have suggested an upper overheating limit of approximately three times the standard melting point in Kelvin, termed the entropy catastrophe. This occurs because the entropy, often viewed as the degree of disorder in a system, is greater when the material transitions to a liquid state. Remaining solid at temperatures above this point contradicts the second law of thermodynamics.

Recently, Thomas White from the University of Nevada, Reno, and his team found that gold can heat up to 14 times its melting point, exceeding even the entropy catastrophe.

White and his colleagues directed a powerful laser at a 50-nanometer-thick gold sheet for 45 seconds, then measured the temperature using reflective X-rays through a novel approach. By analyzing shifts in the frequency of the reflected X-rays, they determined the excess energy transferred to the gold, allowing them to calculate the heating effect on the sheet.

“The temperatures we measured were astonishingly high,” White remarked.

After ensuring no errors in their measurements, White and his team revisited existing theories, realizing that the rapid heating of gold likely reduced the solid’s entropy compared to its potential liquid state, surpassing predicted temperature limits. “It’s crucial to state that we haven’t violated the second law of thermodynamics,” White clarified.

The actual limitations of overheating are still open questions, he noted. “I may have thought the overheating limit was resolved in the 1980s, but now I believe it’s a question worthy of further exploration. Can we heat materials beyond their melting point?”

Utilizing this X-ray technology for measuring solid heating may also help simulate the effects of extreme heat and pressure from planetary interiors on materials within very short timescales, according to Sam Vinco at Oxford University. “Currently, there isn’t an effective thermometer for solids that operates on such brief timescales,” he noted.

It will also be fascinating to ascertain if this phenomenon applies to other solids beyond gold, Vinco stated, particularly regarding whether there’s a limit to heating before melting occurs. “What’s captivating is considering whether rapid heating could essentially circumvent traditional thermodynamic principles,” he added.

Source: www.newscientist.com

CERN Physicists Witness the Transformation of Lead into Gold

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Collisions involving high-energy lead nuclei at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider generate a powerful electromagnetic field capable of displacing protons and converting lead into ephemeral gold nuclei.

The lead ions (208Pb) in the LHC pass by one another without direct collision. During electromagnetic dissociation, photons interact with the nucleus, causing internal vibrations that result in the ejection of a small number of neutrons (2) and protons (3), leaving behind the nucleus of gold (before gold 203Au). Image credit: CERN.

The transformation of base metal lead into the precious metal gold was a long-held aspiration of medieval alchemists.

This enduring pursuit, known as Chrysopia, may have been spurred by the recognition that the relatively common lead, with its dull gray color, bears resemblance to gold.

It has since been established that lead and gold are fundamentally different chemical elements, and that chemical means cannot facilitate their conversion.

The advent of nuclear physics in the 20th century uncovered the possibility of transforming heavy elements into others through processes such as radioactive decay or in laboratory settings involving bombardment by neutrons or protons.

Gold has been artificially generated through such means previously, but physicists from the Alice Collaboration at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have recently measured lead’s conversion into gold using a novel mechanism that relies on close interactions between lead nuclei at the LHC.

High-energy collisions between lead nuclei can lead to the formation of quark-gluon plasma, a state of high temperature and density believed to represent conditions shortly after the Big Bang, initiating phenomena we now recognize.

Simultaneously, in more frequent instances where nuclei narrowly miss each other without direct contact, the strong electromagnetic fields they generate can provoke photon-nucleus interactions, potentially uncovering more exploration avenues.

The electromagnetic field produced by the nucleus is particularly potent due to its 82 protons, each carrying a fundamental charge.

Additionally, when lead nuclei are accelerated to extreme speeds at the LHC, the electromagnetic field lines become compressed into thin layers, extending laterally in the motion direction, generating transient pulses of photons.

This phenomenon often triggers electromagnetic dissociation, where photons interact with the nucleus, causing vibrations in its internal structure and leading to the release of a limited number of neutrons and protons.

To fabricate gold (with 79 protons), three protons must be removed from the lead nuclei in the LHC beam.

“It is remarkable to witness our detectors managing direct collisions that produce thousands of particles, while being sensitive to scenarios where merely a few particles are generated,” said a researcher.

The Alice team employed a zero degree calorimeter (ZDC) to quantify the number of photon-nucleus interactions, correlating them to the emission of zero, one, two, and three protons related to the production of lead, thallium, mercury, and gold, respectively.

While the creation of thallium and mercury occurs more frequently, results indicate that the LHC currently generates gold at a rate of approximately 89,000 nuclei from lead collisions at the Alice collision point.

These gold nuclei emerge from collisions at extremely high energies, colliding with LHC beam pipes or collimators at various downstream points and swiftly fragmenting into individual protons, neutrons, and other particles, lasting mere seconds.

The analysis from Alice shows that roughly 86 billion gold nuclei were produced during four significant experiments across two runs of the LHC, equating to only 29 picograms (2.9*10-11 g) in mass.

With ongoing upgrades to the LHC enhancing its brightness, Run 3 yielded almost double the amount of gold as observed in Run 2, although the overall quantity remains trillions of times less than what is necessary for jewelry production.

Though the technological aspirations of medieval alchemists have been partially fulfilled, their dreams of acquiring wealth have yet again been dashed.

“Thanks to the distinctive capabilities of Alice’s ZDC, our current analysis marks the inaugural systematic detection and examination of gold production signatures at the LHC,” states Dr. Uliana Dmitrieva, a member of the Alice Collaboration.

“These results extend beyond fundamental physics interests and serve to test and refine theoretical models of electromagnetic dissociation, improving our understanding of beam loss— a significant factor influencing the performance limitations of the LHC and future colliders,” adds Dr. John Jowett, also of the Alice Collaboration.

A new study will be published in the journal Physical Review C.

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S. Acharya et al. (Alice Collaboration). √sNN= 5.02 Proton emission in ultra-fine Pb-Pb collisions at TeV. Phys. Rev. C 111, 054906; doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.111.054906

Source: www.sci.news

Magnetic Flares Could Be Key to the Formation and Distribution of Gold and Other Heavy Elements

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Since the Big Bang, the early universe has contained hydrogen, helium, and a minimal amount of lithium. Heavier elements, such as iron, were formed within stars. Yet, one of astrophysics’ greatest enigmas is how the first elements heavier than iron, like gold, were created and dispersed throughout the cosmos. A recent study by astronomers at Columbia University and other institutions suggests that a single flare from a magnetar could generate 27 equivalent masses of these elements simultaneously.

Impressions of Magnetar artists. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wesinger.

For decades, astronomers have theorized about the origins of some of nature’s heaviest elements, like gold, uranium, and platinum.

However, a fresh examination of older archival data indicates that up to 10% of these heavy elements in the Milky Way may originate from the emissions of highly magnetized neutron stars, known as magnetars.

“Until recently, astronomers largely overlooked the role that magnetars, the remnants of supernovae, might play in the formation of early galaxies,” remarked Todd Thompson, a professor at Ohio State University.

“Neutron stars are incredibly unique, dense objects known for their large size and strong magnetic fields. They are similar to black holes but not quite the same.”

The origin of heavy elements has long been a mystery, but scientists have understood that these elements can only form under specific conditions through a process known as the R process (or rapid neutron capture process).

This process was observed in 2017 when astronomers detected a collision between two super-dense neutron stars.

This event was captured using NASA telescopes and the LIGO gravitational wave observatory, providing the first direct evidence that heavy metals can be produced by celestial phenomena.

However, subsequent evidence suggests that neutron star collisions may not form heavy elements swiftly in the early universe, indicating that additional mechanisms might be necessary to account for all these elements.

Based on these insights, Professor Thompson and his colleagues realized that powerful magnetar flares could act as significant ejectors of heavy elements. This conclusion was validated by the observation of the SGR 1806-20 magnetar flare that occurred 20 years ago.

By analyzing this flare event, the researchers found that the radioactive decay of the newly formed elements aligns with theoretical predictions concerning the timing and energy released by magnetar flares after ejecting heavy R-process elements.

“This is the second time we’ve observed direct evidence of where these elements are produced, first linked to neutron star mergers,” stated Professor Brian Metzger from Columbia University.

“This marks a significant advancement in our understanding of heavy element production.”

“We are based at Columbia University,” mentioned Anildo Patel, a doctoral candidate at the institution.

The researchers also theorized that magnetar flares generate heavy cosmic rays and very fast particles, the origins of which remain unclear.

“I am always excited by new ideas about how systems and discoveries in space operate,” said Professor Thompson.

“That’s why seeing results like this is so thrilling.”

The team’s paper was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Anirudh Patel et al. 2025. Direct evidence for R-process nuclear synthesis in delayed MeV radiation from SGR 1806-20 magnetar giant flares. ApJL 984, L29; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ADC9B0

Source: www.sci.news

Rediscovering Thetford Treasure: Archaeologists Explore 1,500-Year-Old Gold Jewelry and Silver Spoons

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The treasure jewels discovered in Tetford Forest, East Anglia, indicate that Tetford maintained pagan practices until the 5th century A.D.

A ring from the Sitford storage on display at the British Museum. Image credit: Geni/CC by-sa 4.0.

The Thetford treasure was unearthed in 1979 by a metal detectorist trespassing at a construction site on Fison’s Way, Gallows Hill, Thetford.

This treasure comprised 81 items, including 22 gold rings, various gold gems, and 36 silver spoons or strainers.

Several gems were found alongside the shalebox, with additional objects nearby.

The retrieved items included coins, presenting researchers with dating challenges.

The collection is now part of the British Museum and is currently on display.

Professor Ellen Swift, an archaeologist from the University of Kent, remarked:

“The extensive evidence uncovered at this site substantiates the religious context previously indicated by inscriptions found among the spoons in the reservoir, suggesting that the dating of the Thetford reservoir extends into the fifth century.”

“The economic significance of the site—evidenced by the value and variety of its contents—indicates that it likely held considerable power and influence in the area.”

This revised chronology is bolstered by a thorough comparison of multiple artifacts (both spoons and jewelry), alongside discoveries of contextual dates from Continental Europe and objects from the 5th-century Hoxne Reservoir housed in the British Museum.

Professor Swift also found that England was less isolated than previously thought, and the treasured items were influenced by the Roman Empire.

“The Sitford gems display remarkable stylistic diversity, hinting at various artisans producing works from different regions,” Professor Swift explained.

“Some of the latest rings in the collection may have originated from Northern Italy or nearby regions, including necklaces adorned with conical beads from Balkan tribes in Europe.”

“Most of the jewelry reflects a ‘Rome of the Mediterranean’ aesthetic, suggesting a shared cultural heritage among elite circles across a broad geographic area.”

This research was published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology.

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Ellen Swift. 2024. Rethinking the dates and interpretations of Thetford treasures: the fifth c. A storage of gold jewels and silver spoons. Journal of Roman Archaeology 37(2): 409-448; doi: 10.1017/s104759424000278

Source: www.sci.news

Study finds earthquake-triggered piezoelectric effect is essential in the creation of sizable gold nuggets

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Gold nuggets reside primarily in quartz veins, and the current paradigm holds that gold precipitates from hydrothermal and carbon dioxide-rich fluids due to changes in temperature, pressure, and/or fluid chemistry. However, the widespread occurrence of large gold nuggets is inconsistent with the dilute nature of these fluids and the chemical inertness of quartz. Quartz is the only abundant piezoelectric mineral on Earth, and the cyclical nature of the seismic activity that drives the formation of gold deposits means that quartz crystals within veins are stressed thousands of times. New research by scientists from Monash University, CSIRO Mineral Resources and the Australian Neutron Scattering Centre suggests that stress on quartz crystals may generate enough voltage to not only electrochemically precipitate gold from solution, but also accumulate gold nanoparticles.

Energy dispersive spectroscopy map of the sample studied by Voysey othersImage courtesy of Chris Voisey.

“Prized for their rarity and beauty, gold nuggets have been at the heart of gold rushes for centuries,” says Monash University geologist Chris Voisey.

“The standard explanation is that gold precipitates from hot, water-rich fluids that flow through cracks in the Earth's crust.”

“As these fluids cool and undergo chemical changes, the gold separates and becomes trapped in the quartz veins.”

“Although this theory is widely accepted, it does not fully explain the formation of large gold nuggets, especially considering the extremely low concentrations of gold in these liquids.”

Dr. Voysey and his colleagues tested a new concept called piezoelectricity.

Quartz, the mineral that typically contains these gold deposits, has a unique property called piezoelectricity, which means it generates an electric charge when subjected to pressure.

This phenomenon is already well known in everyday items such as quartz watches and barbecue lighters, where small mechanical forces generate large voltages.

What if earthquake stresses caused something similar to happen within the Earth?

To test this hypothesis, the researchers conducted experiments designed to replicate conditions that quartz might experience during an earthquake.

They submerged the crystals in a gold-rich liquid and used a motor to apply pressure to it, replicating the shaking of an earthquake.

After the experiment, the quartz samples were examined under a microscope to see if any gold had been deposited.

“The results were surprising,” said Professor Andy Tomkins, from Monash University.

“The stressed quartz not only electrochemically deposited gold on its surface, but also formed and accumulated gold nanoparticles.”

“Surprisingly, the gold tended to deposit on top of existing gold grains rather than forming new gold grains.”

“This is because quartz is an electrical insulator, while gold is a conductor.”

“Once the gold is deposited, it becomes a focus for further growth, effectively attaching even more gold to the gold particle.”

“Our findings provide a plausible explanation for why large gold nuggets form in quartz veins,” Dr Voysey said.

When the quartz is repeatedly compressed by an earthquake, a piezoelectric voltage is generated, causing dissolved gold to be reduced and precipitated from the surrounding liquid.

Over time, this process can accumulate large amounts of gold, eventually producing giant gold nuggets that fascinate treasure hunters and geologists.

“Essentially, the quartz acts like a natural battery, with the gold as its electrodes, slowly accumulating gold with each earthquake,” Dr Voysey said.

“This process may explain why large gold nuggets are frequently associated with quartz veins that form in earthquake-related deposits.”

“This new understanding of the formation of gold nuggets not only solves a long-standing geological mystery, but also highlights the interrelationships between Earth's physical and chemical processes.”

a paper A paper describing the results was published today in the journal Nature Chemistry.

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CR Voysey othersThe formation of gold nuggets due to earthquake-induced piezoelectric effect in quartz. National GeographyPublished on September 2, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41561-024-01514-1

Source: www.sci.news

Earthquakes as a possible explanation for the formation of giant gold nuggets in quartz rock

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A replica of the “Welcome Stranger,” a 100 kg gold nugget discovered in Australia in 1869.

Ian Dagnall/Alamy

Earthquakes can create electric fields that attract gold dissolved in liquids pushed up from deep within the earth, causing gold nuggets to form in the quartz.

Giant gold nuggets are often associated with quartz, a ubiquitous but chemically inert mineral. The world's largest gold nuggets can weigh nearly 100 kilograms, but until now no one has been able to explain how such masses of precious metal formed.

“The mystery was how someone could create such a large nugget of gold in one place without any obvious chemical or physical traps,” he said. Chris Voysey At Monash University, Melbourne.

Voysey and his colleagues discovered a possible mechanism: applying pressure to the quartz creates a voltage that attracts gold dissolved in water.

The secret lies in the structure of quartz, Voysey explains. Quartz is the only abundant mineral whose crystals have no center of symmetry. This means that when these crystals are strained or stressed by seismic activity, their internal electromagnetic makeup changes, generating electricity. Electricity generated in response to mechanical stress is known as piezoelectricity.

Gold-bearing hydrothermal fluids rise up through fissures during seismic activity from the mid-to-lower crust, 15-20 km below the surface, but gold is so dilute that it would take the equivalent of five Olympic swimming pools of hydrothermal fluid to produce 10 kg of gold.

Voysey and his colleagues hypothesized that the piezoelectric properties of quartz would cause the gold to concentrate in nodules within the veins during repeated earthquakes. To test this idea, the team performed experiments in which they placed quartz crystals in a gold-containing solution and applied moderate pressure from an actuator.

Quartz samples that were not subjected to pressure did not attract gold, but samples subjected to force generated a voltage and attracted the metal. Some of the samples were coated with iridium to accentuate the piezoelectric response of the quartz and artificially mimic the expansion of seismic activity. In these samples, large gold flakes grew, over 6000 nanometers, compared to 200-300 nanometers in uncoated quartz.

Once gold starts to deposit on the quartz, it quickly attracts other gold, Voysey says. “Gold is a conductor, so gold in solution tends to deposit on top of existing gold,” he says. “It becomes like a lightning rod that attracts more gold.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists develop ultra-thin gold ‘golden’ that is only one atom thick

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Golden in the form of gold monolayer sheets is prepared by etching away titanium carbide (Ti)3C2. Slabs of titanium gold carbide (Ti)3AuC2.

Golden preparation.Image provided by: Kashiwaya other., doi: 10.1038/s44160-024-00518-4.

“When you make a material extremely thin, something unusual happens, just as it did with graphene. The same thing happens with gold,” said Dr. Shun Kashiwaya, a researcher at Linköping University.

“As you know, gold is normally a metal, but if it's an atomic layer thick, it can become a semiconductor instead.”

To create Goldene, Dr. Kashiwaya and his colleagues used a three-dimensional substrate with gold embedded between layers of titanium and carbon. However, coming up with a golden turned out to be difficult.

“We created the basic material with a completely different application in mind,” said Professor Lars Hartmann from Linköping University.

“We started with a conductive ceramic called titanium silicon carbide, which has a thin layer of silicon.”

“Then the idea was to coat the material with gold to make the contacts. However, when the component was exposed to high temperatures, the silicon layer inside the substrate was replaced by gold.”

This phenomenon is called intercalation, and what the researchers discovered was titanium-gold carbide.

For several years, authors have been using titanium gold carbide without knowing how the gold could be exfoliated or panned out.

They accidentally discovered a method that has been used in Japanese forging for more than 100 years.

This is called Murakami's reagent, and it etches away carbon residues and changes the color of steel, such as in knife making. However, it was not possible to use exactly the same recipe as the blacksmith.

“We tried varying the concentration of Murakami's reagent and the etching time. One day, one week, one month, several months. What we noticed was that the lower the concentration and the longer the etching process, the better. But even that wasn't enough,” Dr. Kashiwaya said.

Etching must also be performed in the dark, as the reaction produces cyanide, which dissolves the gold when exposed to light. This step was to stabilize the gold sheet.

A surfactant was added to prevent the exposed two-dimensional sheet from curling up. In this case, it is a long molecule, a surfactant, that separates and stabilizes the sheets.

“The golden sheets sit in a solution, a bit like cornflakes in milk. We use a sort of 'sieve' to collect the gold and examine it under an electron microscope to see if we were successful.” We have that,” Dr. Kashiwaya said.

“Golden's new properties are due to the fact that gold has two free bonds when it is two-dimensional.”

“Thanks to this, future applications could include carbon dioxide conversion, hydrogen production catalysts, selective production of value-added chemicals, hydrogen production, water purification, communications, etc.”

“Additionally, the amount of gold used in today's applications can be significantly reduced.”

team's work It was published in the magazine natural synthesis.

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Shin Kashiwaya other. Golden synthesis consisting of a single atomic layer of gold. nut.synthesizer, published online March 18, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s44160-024-00518-4

Source: www.sci.news

Gold Flecks Give Ultra-Clear Glass a Completely Opaque Appearance on One Side

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Objects visible through glare-free materials are clear, but traditional anti-glare films (right) blur the view.

Mu Wang et al/Nanjing University

Glare-free windows can be made from materials studded with billions of tiny metal patches. This leaves the one-way window matte – it looks opaque and reflects only 1% of the light from outside – but it is still transparent, so it doesn’t blur your view or significantly reduce the amount of light it lets in. You may be able to secure the privacy of your car or office without having to worry about it. They let them in.

Mu Wan Nanjing University in China and his colleagues have created a glass-like material with a matte finish similar to frosted glass, called transparent material surface (TMS). Unlike existing anti-glare coatings and films, objects can be viewed and photographed through TMS without blur.

Wang notes that matte and transparent are typically mutually exclusive properties. To accomplish both at the same time, he and his team coated the material with nanosized patches that scatter and reflect light in just the right way. They make these parts from reflective metals like gold and materials like silicon that conduct electricity poorly, which reduces the amount of light reflected. They then placed billions of them onto glass wafers.

They tested it by shining a light on it and found that a camera with a TMS wafer over the lens could reflect just 1.3% of the light while transmitting enough light to take clear photos. . The researchers also asked the AI ​​to identify a tennis ball on the other side, combined with a camera connected to the AI ​​that labels the object. The AI ​​was successful when viewing the ball through TMS, but labeled the ball as “unidentified” when viewing through the blur created by traditional anti-glare film.

“The most exciting part of the experiment for us was the interesting moment when we saw the freshly prepared 4-inch sample with our own eyes for the first time without any special equipment. The material became transparent when light passed through it. It was difficult to imagine that there would be no distortion in the image, but it would look dull when reflecting light,” says Wang.

Simon Horsley Researchers at the University of Exeter in the UK say the material is suitable for making “very large windows” and could help reduce light pollution. Reflections are a major source of light pollution, and this material helps minimize light pollution by reflecting soft, diffused light instead of annoying bright glare.

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Source: www.newscientist.com