Scientists with the University of Leeds have managed to deploy gold in an ultra-efficient layer that's just two atoms thick, paving the way for much improved efficiency in the usage of the precious metal. The development, which university representatives claim marks a "landmark achievement", will open doors for the medical device and electronics industries-and also as a catalyst to speed up chemical reactions in a range of industrial processes. Because this 2D gold technology is up to 10x more efficient than current gold nanoparticle deployment (since all the gold particles are part of the surface, with no gold being left unused due to it being below the surface, in a bulk dispersion that's unavoidable with current coating technologies).

This means that materials savings can be achieved - which will likely be a magnet to the electronics industry, which will be able to not only increase efficiency of deployed gold, but also reduce waste of the precious material. Scientists behind the breakthrough claim this could also serve as a gateway for the development of other 2D materials, since lessons learned here may be applicable to other materials. All that remains (and that's putting it nicely) is being able to develop ways to scale-up the process, which deploys gold in a flake-like manner (scientists call it nanoseaweed of gold) that is flexible enough to be built into bendable devices.