You can stop puzzling over what to do with those unwanted recordable CDs.
Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil have developed a way
to make electrodes out of the pre-polished gold that lines them. Using nitric
acid, they removed the CD’s plastic layers to reveal the gold layer, which is
about 50 to 100 nanometres thick. The gold is the perfect thickness for use in
many types of electrolytic cells—particularly those used to measure levels
of mercury and copper in drinking water.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from 51¶¯Âþ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Health
How ageing on Earth mimics the effects of space travel
Comment
Mathematics
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
51¶¯Âþ
Mind
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
51¶¯Âþ
Health
Women’s better memories may delay Alzheimer’s diagnosis by years
51¶¯Âþ
Popular articles
Trending 51¶¯Âþ articles
1
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
2
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
3
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
4
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
5
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
6
Wind-assisted cargo ships could more than halve shipping emissions
7
Putting CO2 into rocks and getting hydrogen out is climate double win
8
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
9
Can we harness quantum effects to create a new kind of healthcare?
10
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
