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Gold nanoparticles to enrich everyday products

Stable colors, methods of water purification, faster computers, stiffer shoe soles, and lighter-weight and cheaper televisions are all possible today after scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia found a way to disperse gold nanoparticles uniformly inside plastic.

Dr. Adrian Fox. Photo: Erica Fish, University of Queensland
Dr. Adrian Fox. Photo: Erica Fish, University of Queensland

Stable colors, methods of water purification, faster computers, stiffer shoe soles, and lighter-weight and cheaper televisions - all are possible today after scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia found a way to disperse gold nanoparticles uniformly inside plastic.

Researcher Adrian Fuchs, from the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, said that the method he developed was a model for dispersing metals in the form of nanoparticles within polymeric or plastic materials.

"The properties of metals change when they are in the form of nanoparticles, and therefore, combining the unique properties of metallic nanoparticles with plastic leads to a completely new range of composite materials that could be used for the development of innovative catalysts, drug delivery and coatings," explains the lead researcher.

"Paint is basically plastic, so if you add gold nanoparticles to it, they make it more intense and stable." The researchers also note that gold is a good conductor and becomes an effective catalyst when it is mixed with different metals.

"If you mix gold nanoparticles with titanium dioxide in a plastic melt, you can get an effective catalyst for water purification - the titanium component absorbs the light and converts it into electricity, which flows through the conductive gold," explains the researcher.

The researchers explain that their innovative method of dispersing nanoparticles inside plastic can also be used to store drugs in a plastic shell so that they can be swallowed and used to detect and destroy cancer.

The news from the university

6 תגובות

  1. So everything turns gold. If so also a simple plastic cup, it will be necessary to insure and store in a safe.

  2. But even so, nano gold particles are very little - so with one ounce, the economy can be greatly improved.
    With the right marketing to the right people and the right companies and it could be the next thing.

  3. The price of an ounce of gold is 1250 dollars, at such a price there will be no economic viability for extensive use of gold.

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