Goldene is a single-layer allotrope of gold. The thinnest commercial gold leaf is some 400 times thicker than goldene.[1] It features 9% lattice contraction compared to bulk gold.[1]
History
editGoldene was first synthesized as a free-standing material in 2024 by a team at Linköping University in Sweden. A 2022 claim by a team at New York University Abu Dhabi has been disputed as actually containing multiple layers.[2]
Synthesis
editThe team used a material containing silicene between layers of titanium carbide. Gold layered on top of this combination diffused into the structure and replaced the silicon. Etching away the titanium carbide released free-standing goldene sheets that were up to 100 nanometres wide. The etching was performed using Murakami's reagent, in a 100-year-old technique used to decorate ironwork by Japanese blacksmiths. Surfactant molecules formed a barrier between goldene and the surrounding liquid — to stop the sheets from adhering.[2]
The team is exploring the potential for preparing goldene from other non-van der Waals Au-intercalated phases, including developing etching schemes.[1]
Graphene comparison
editForming 2D allotropes of metals such as gold has been difficult because metal atoms tend to cluster together and form nanoparticles instead of nanosheets.[2]
Properties
editThe material displayed Au 4f binding energy increase of 0.88 eV. The material is a semiconductor, with the valence band maximum 50 meV below the Fermi level.[1]
Applications
editPotential applications included sensing and catalysis.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Kashiwaya, Shun; Shi, Yuchen; Lu, Jun; Sangiovanni, Davide G.; Greczynski, Grzegorz; Magnuson, Martin; Andersson, Mike; Rosen, Johanna; Hultman, Lars (2024-04-16). "Synthesis of goldene comprising single-atom layer gold". Nature Synthesis: 1–8. doi:10.1038/s44160-024-00518-4. ISSN 2731-0582.
- ^ a b c Peplow, Mark (2024-04-18). "Meet 'goldene': this gilded cousin of graphene is also one atom thick". Nature. 629 (8010): 17. Bibcode:2024Natur.629...17P. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-01118-0. PMID 38637705.