Why in News? For the first time, researchers from Sweden’s Linköping University have created a free-standing one-atom thick sheet of gold, making gold the first metal to be formulated into freestanding 2-D sheets.

How was Goldene Developed? Researchers first sandwiched an atomic monolayer of silicon between layers of titanium carbide. Then added the gold atoms, which diffused into the material and replaced the silicon atoms, forming a trapped monolayer of gold atoms. Finally, scientists etched away the titanium carbide using a solution of alkaline potassium ferricyanide known as Murakami’s reagent (an age-old technique used by Japanese smiths to decorate ironwork) to release the Goldene sheet. The researchers also added surfactant molecules (compounds that formed a protective barrier between Goldene and the surrounding liquid) to stop the sheets from sticking together.

Is it the Thinnest Version of Gold? Yes, these sheets are roughly 100nanometres (nm- a billionth of a metre) thick, approximately 400 times thinner than the thinnest commercially available gold leaf.

How can this Discovery be Helpful? The technique used to create Goldene can also be used for other metallic objects, work on making 2D sheets of iridium and platinum is in process. Goldene possibly also has some special properties because each gold atom, in this case, has only six neighboring atoms, compared to 12 in a three-dimensional crystal.

Potential Applications of Goldene- Goldene holds promise as a great catalyst because it’s much more economically viable than thicker, three-dimensional gold. This means that electronics, which use gold due to its electrical conductivity, can potentially use lesser amounts for the same purpose. Future applications could also include carbon dioxide conversion, hydrogen-generating catalysis, selective production of value-added chemicals, hydrogen production, water purification, light sensing devices etc.