Pioneering research and skills
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
The midas touch EPSRC-sponsored scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered how to change the colour of the world’s most precious metal, gold. Using nanoscale technology, the team have created a new kind of ‘metamaterial’ by embossing tiny raised or indented patterns onto the metal’s surface which can change the way it absorbs and reflects light – making our eyes see it as red or green or a variety of other colours. The technique could be harnessed by a wide range of industries for anything from manufacturing new types of jewellery to making banknotes and documents harder to forge.
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