Gold Deposits: Scientists design nanoparticle films
In a step toward a cheaper, easier way to connect computer chips to computers, scientists have patterned semiconductors with a film of extremely small gold particles. The nanoscale detailing might also lead to other applications: new sensors for detecting chemical weapons, novel chemical catalysts, and better ways of delivering medicines.
The contacts that connect tiny components of a computer chip to a much larger wire are often made of gold because it doesn’t react with air easily. The metal is expensive, however.