Nice, I can't wait for rappers to start donning and rapping about their new multicolored gold chains.
Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
31–40 of 45 posts
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
A polymer coating would indeed help. In the jargon, we call that stuff "paint". :)
I think the GP meant a varnish, not a paint.
There's absolutely no difference; those are both completely informal terms. A "varnish" (or whatever, there are thousands of names for these thing) is nothing more than a transparent paint base without pigment added. The point was that the claim was made in the article that this is more durable than paint, when AFAICT the only way to make it so it to put a paint(-like coating) on top of the surface anyway. So how is it more durable? Scratch the coating and you scratch off the fancy micro-texture.
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#33FTA: Since the process changes the intrinsic surface properties of the metal itself and is not just a coating, the color won't fade or peel, says Guo Oversold. This is technically true, but any corrosion (or even scratching) will muck up the visible-wavelength-scale features on which this effect depends. I'd have to believe this kind of image would be far more fragile than a simple paint would be...
As a material scientist myself, I was curious about their study. So I pulled up their paper in JAP. My first thought before reading was that the high intensity laser pulses were causing local heating such that any impurities in the solid (ie carbon) diffused onto the surface. Nope, they did an EDS scan and platinum was clearly the dominant element. There were traces of carbon but I think this was due to impurities in…
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Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#34I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but this is the secret to alchemy! A couple of laser bursts and you can turn lead to gold.
Just watch out for anyone named Saro...
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#35We have been doing that for years but we called it "paint".
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#36This is dated February 1st, 2008. Shouldn't we be seeing applications of this by now?
Here is a December 8, 2009 article from the University of Rochester website that describes some additional uses: http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3514
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the GP meant a varnish, not a paint.
There's absolutely no difference; those are both completely informal terms. A "varnish" (or whatever, there are thousands of names for these thing) is nothing more than a transparent paint base without pigment added. The point was that the claim was made in the article that this is more durable than paint, when AFAICT the only way to make it so it to put a paint(-like coating) on top of the surface anyway. So how is…
It could for instance be more durable because it doesn't fade due to ultra-violet light breaking down the pigment.
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Of course you can make imperfect or active one-way mirrors.
Not sure what an imperfect one-way mirror is. Do you mean, something that is mostly one way? Because, no, you can't. And you can't make an active one-way mirror either (at least not without inputting energy) - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwells_demon
You've never seen a security mirror (http://www.howstuffworks.com/question421.htm) before? They're what the parent posters are refering to...
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's absolutely no difference; those are both completely informal terms. A "varnish" (or whatever, there are thousands of names for these thing) is nothing more than a transparent paint base without pigment added. The point was that the claim was made in the article that this is more durable than paint, when AFAICT the only way to make it so it to put a paint(-like coating) on top of the surface anyway. So how is…
It could for instance be more durable because it doesn't fade due to ultra-violet light breaking down the pigment.
The same is true of ionic pigments, though. Only the organics fade in sunlight. Again, hardly an earth-shattering innovation. Might make it useful in toys where toxic pigments can't be used...
Re: Researchers Create Gold Aluminum, Black Platinum, Blue Silver
#40What will happen to jewelry prices? Does this mean we can make perfect aluminum jewelry that looks like gold (except for weight and such)? Would people care if they could get real gold or fake aluminum that looks identical and is muuuuch cheaper?
> Would people care if they could get real gold or fake aluminum that looks identical and is muuuuch cheaper?
Yes.
Neither diamonds or gold are really that desirable for jewelry. Gold is a metal that doesn't hold its shape very easily and good diamonds come in one color: colorless. The desirable part comes from the fact that they're rare. Rare things are fashionable.
There's been ways to produce artificial diamonds for some time now. Some of them actually have some really awesome properties when it comes to ultraviolet light. They actually glow and it's downright beautiful. A "genuine" diamond doesn't, since the ones actually created in the earth have to work out impurities the hard way and aren't as pure as at least one of the artificial processes.
Yet the popularity of natural diamonds continues. Frankly some of the other precious gemstones look nicer for many pieces, it's the rarity and implication of wealth that causes people to care about diamonds.