Colorful nanocrystals could lead to faster computers

17 Jun 2002

In the Middle Ages, makers of stained glass windows introduced small metal solids separated from a solution into molten glass to produce vibrant colors. Using an accelerator, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) can implant gold ions in high concentrations in glass surface layers, creating a variety of striking colors.

Unlike 12th-century glaziers, the researchers also can control the microscopic behavior of the resulting nanocrystals, or clusters of several hundred metallic atoms each. Because many of these materials absorb and emit light in remarkable ways, they could be used in the development of faster, smarter computers and better flat-panel displays.

"We have shown that ion implantation can be used in a novel way to create nanocrystals embedded in a number of host materials," says ORNL scientist Woody White.