Goldene is a new material created by scientists, which is an incredibly thin version of gold.
This material is made by spreading out gold to be just one atom layer thick, similar to the process used to create graphene.
Goldene, like graphene, is expected to have a variety of new properties that could lead to major technological breakthroughs.
Potential applications for Goldene include converting carbon dioxide, purifying water, and use in communications technologies.
The creation of Goldene could allow for the use of much less gold in current technologies that rely on the material, making it a more sustainable option.
The breakthrough came with a technique inspired by Japanese craftspeople and a century-old method known as Murakami’s reagent.
The discovery of Goldene was partly by chance when researchers were working with a base material of titanium and carbon.
Goldene is part of ongoing research to see if similar thin materials can be created with other metal.