Nanostructures made of pure gold

The idea is reminiscent of the ancient alchemists’ attempts to create gold from worthless substances: Researchers have discovered a novel way to fabricate pure gold nanostructures using an additive direct-write lithography technique. An electron beam is used to turn an auriferous organic compound into pure gold. This new technique can now be used to create nanostructures, which are needed for many applications in electronics and sensor technology. Just like with a 3D-printer on the nanoscale, almost any arbitrary shape can be created.