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Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

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81–90 of 128 posts

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point of systematic naming is predictability through consistency, not appealing to the lowest common denominator. But Sweden isn’t exactly known for its stellar educational system, so it doesn’t surprise me that their chemists don’t learn Greek.

Ancient Greece wasn't known for its great chemical industry.

Tell that to IUPAC, I don’t make the rules.

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#83

Is single atom thick gold somewhat optically transparent?

Definitely yes. Gold is surprisingly transparent for a metal. Famously, gold plating is used on astronaut helmet visors, at 200 nm thickness - i.e. ~1200 atoms thick.

Is it more transparent than other metals? How transparent is a 200 nm film of iron or aluminium?

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#84

Is single atom thick gold somewhat optically transparent?

Definitely yes. Gold is surprisingly transparent for a metal. Famously, gold plating is used on astronaut helmet visors, at 200 nm thickness - i.e. ~1200 atoms thick.

TIL! Thank you for sharing - love me my chemistry after all...

For those who are curious: it fends off harmful EM radiation

https://spinoff.nasa.gov/spinoff1997/hm2.html#:~:text=A%20th....

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#86
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely yes. Gold is surprisingly transparent for a metal. Famously, gold plating is used on astronaut helmet visors, at 200 nm thickness - i.e. ~1200 atoms thick.

Is it more transparent than other metals? How transparent is a 200 nm film of iron or aluminium?

Not transparent at all on visible light wavelengths. Light transmission in metals obeys the skin effect, which means that AC fields (such as the fields in light) do not like to penetrate deep into the material, and the skin depth for visible light wavelengths in most metals is expressed in individual nanometers.

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#87
post #82

If it weren’t for the captions, I would assume that every single photo in this article was stock photography: “Scientists doing sciencey things.”

Maybe the photographer told the scientists - your apparatus doesn't look right - here use this pipette and beaker for the photo.

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#88
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if you really distort the definitions. The "empty space" you are thinking about is the matter. You can't just put other stuff there. There's a similar wrong meme about how you never really "touch" anything.

> There's a similar wrong meme about how you never really "touch" anything. Ok, what is the exact moment you touch something? How close do the atoms need to be?

Do this for 'touching fire' to clarify the actual issue.

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#89
post #54
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How quick do you expect a material science innovation to land in commercial products? E.g. if the superior quality of material X is proven in one study today, it might take at least a decade for material X to make it into a first run of a prototype chip series — maybe — if there have been a hundred follow-up studies that showed promise as well. Then how long does it take for that prototype chip series to feel like a…

Graphene was insanely hyped close to two decades ago though. Every other month you'd hear stories of things that could be disrupted by it. That was my recollection, though could be biased and me misremembering. But it feels like a valid question, especially since it has been two decades. Relevant section from Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene : > In 2004, the material was rediscovered, isolated and i…

Yep. They made entire disciplines of nanoscience and nano engineering to train grads to do jobs that didn't exist. I was one very briefly before seeing the writing on the wall and moving to electrical engineering.

Re: Goldene: A single atom layer of gold

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That article puts nuclear in a "list of technologies that failed to make the grade". So I question everything else in the article. I agree that nuclear is underutilized, but putting it on the same list as an electric bike that flopped is.... I don't even have words

Whatever your feelings about nuclear power, you can't really argue with the reason they think it has "failed to make the grade": > “Our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter” – Lewis Strauss, then chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1954.

The United States has failed at nuclear power. It's much more successful elsewhere.
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