Utilizing proteins from a standard tobacco plant virus, McGill chemistry researchers have developed a easy, eco-friendly method to prepare gold nanoparticles into ultrathin sheets, strengthening the particles’ optical properties. The end result: cheaper, safer supplies for photo voltaic panels, sensors and superior optical units.
Gold nanoparticles are solely efficient in strengthening optical indicators when the nanoparticles are organized on a floor and spaced at precise distances. Till now, creating these patterns required harsh chemical substances and tightly managed lab situations.
The McGill workforce modified a tobacco mosaic virus in order that it might self-assemble into sheets in water and at room temperature, with the nanoparticles correctly spaced.
