Nanotechnology! Wonder science, right? Will solve all of life’s problems, eventually. Yeah…probably not, but it could make palladium easier to come by in the future. One problem, potentially solved!
The way nanotech will do this is by a process that nebulizes (combines) rhodium and silver. Usually these two compounds are like oil and water when found in nature, but ol’ nanotechnology doesn’t care and combines them anyway.
The result is a new substance that’s similar to the very expensive and rare palladium, which is used in a wide range of electronics. This process could do very well in a future where our resources are dwindling, although as per the usual “research and development” science articles we come across these days, this research will not see widespread usage for a long while, if ever.
That said, nothing is stopping the researchers—based in Japan’s Kyoto U.—from speculating the process could be used on other alloys. [PhysOrg via Engadget]
