noble metal

"It thus offers a powerful and sustainable alternative to the noble metal complexes that have long dominated light-driven chemistry."

Such strong cultural affinity for physical gold, particularly jewellery, means the appetite for the noble metal is unlikely to be dented in the long term, despite the short-term moderation, say experts.

The next step for the LiU researchers is to investigate whether it is possible to do the same with other noble metals and identify additional future applications.

"This is an unusual observation for a molecular system based on manganese in its oxidation state +IV. Even with noble metals emission in this energy region is essentially unprecedented," said Professor Katja Heinze.

Mixing the magnetic metal nickel with the noble metal gold radically changes the electronic properties.