The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council.

Thursday, 28th May 2009 (1218 views)

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have used gold to develop new rotor-based machinery that could be used to generate electric currents.

Working in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, researchers at the institution's school of chemistry have employed the precious metal in an investigation into the practical possibilities that can be presented by creating rotating molecules.

A gold metal surface was used to secure molecules made from phtalocyanine, with a single gold atom being attached to a nitrogen atom to give the molecules the ability to rotate off-centre.

"The centre atoms, which are metallic, spin around the gold atoms creating an off-axis rotation," Professor Werner Hofer explained, adding that the research could result in the formation of rotating magnetic fields "on a very small scale".

In related news this week, gold has been used by scientists in Australia to develop a new sensor that can provide accurate mercury vapour readings.

 

« Back to Gold News stories