Engineers protect artifacts by graphene gilding
Tuesday, September 11, 2018 - 13:50
in Physics & Chemistry
Gilding is the process of coating intricate artifacts with precious metals. Ancient Egyptians and Chinese coated their sculptures with thin metal films using gilding. Scientists inspired by this ancient process, have added a single layer of carbon atoms, known as graphene, on top of metal leaves -- doubling the protective quality of gilding against wear and tear.