Gold Can Make Glass More Transparent
September 29, 2011 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
LONDON, Sept. 28 (UPI) — British researchers say they’ve discovered a way to make glass even more transparent by coating it in a thin layer of gold.
Scientists are King’s College London say the thin gold layer allows more light to be transmitted through the glass at more angles while reducing the amount that is reflected back, a KCL release said Wednesday.
This could improve viewing of flat-screen televisions or the light-emitting diodes in watches and alarm clocks, which presently have narrow viewing angles and must be seen head-on for the best view, researchers said.
In present devices light is generated from within a layer of active material inside glass then trapped within that layer, which means it cannot be viewed at other angles other than almost face on.
In the new technique, by applying a very thin layer of gold over the glass and controlling the thickness of the thinnest part of the layer the interaction of light and electrons in the glass can be engineered on the nanoscale to increase the transmission of light through the glass.
This results in light passing through the glass even when not viewed straight on, and at a greater intensity, the researchers said.
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