Lasers turn pure aluminum … ‘gold’

March 1, 2008
The ultimate goal of the Old World alchemist was to turn inexpensive metals into gold.

The ultimate goal of the Old World alchemist was to turn inexpensive metals into gold. Modern-day physicists at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics (Rochester, NY), have turned aluminum and other metals goldin color if not chemistry. A femtosecond laser processing technique created by professor Chunlei Guo and his assistant Anatoliy Vorobeyv alters the surface properties of aluminum, platinum, titanium, tungsten, silver, and gold to create tints of gold, blue, gray, black, and even multicolored irridescence.

The technique involved a Ti:sapphire laser system emitting 800 nm, 65 fs pulses at about 1.1 mJ/pulse. The horizontally polarized laser beam can modify single spots as small as 10 µm in size, or large areas using a scanned laser beam. The laser induces periodic nanostructures that change the reflectance and absorption properties of incoming light. As the simple technique is refined, says Guo, possible applications could include using a single laser to create colored metal bike frames, etching full-color pictures of your family onto your refrigerator door, or creating an engagement ring the color of your fiancé’s eyes. Contact Chunlei Guo at [email protected].

Sponsored Recommendations

Advancing Neuroscience Using High-Precision 3D Printing

March 7, 2025
Learn how Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Used High-Precision 3D Printing to Advance Neuroscience Research using 3D Printed Optical Drives.

From Prototyping to Production: How High-Precision 3D Printing is Reinventing Electronics Manufacturing

March 7, 2025
Learn how micro 3D printing is enabling miniaturization. As products get smaller the challenge to manufacture small parts increases.

Sputtered Thin-film Coatings

Feb. 27, 2025
Optical thin-film coatings can be deposited by a variety of methods. Learn about 2 traditional methods and a deposition process called sputtering.

What are Notch Filters?

Feb. 27, 2025
Notch filters are ideal for applications that require nearly complete rejection of a laser line while passing as much non-laser light as possible.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!