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Monday, 29th September 2008 (1841 views)

Researchers in China have created a miniscule 'golden crown' with a diameter of just a few nanometres, it has been reported.

The structure, containing 36 gold atoms, is the biggest of its kind produced in the world, according to technology website Live Science.

Smaller rings similar to this have been in existence for some time, yet the development from the team led by Shu-Yan Yu is the first to use such a large number of atoms.

It is held together by gold to gold bonds and the molecules form a shape that resembles a crown.

Chemists have been studying such structures since 1967 and this breakthrough could be significant for producing new materials for use in nanotechnology.

Meanwhile, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the UK have developed a new reference system for gold nanoparticles using spheres of the metal that measure ten, 30 and 60 nanometres.

 

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