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Many metals must be made into thin objects before they can be used in technological products like electronics or cells. “Stubborn” metals, however, are very difficult to turn into thin objects because they require extremely high temperatures.

Generally speaking, scientists make metal objects using the technique that includes making metals become gas at high temperatures and allowing an object to form on top of wafers (晶片). But this traditional method is very expensive, uses a lot of energy, and may also be unsafe due to high temperatures. Now, the researchers from University of Minnesota have developed a way to make these metals become gas at significantly lower temperatures, fewer than 200 degrees instead of several thousands. By designing and adding organic ligands (有机配体) to these metals, the researchers were able to greatly increase the material vapor (蒸汽) pressure, making them easier to become gas at lower temperatures. Not only is their new technique simpler, but it also makes higher quality materials.

“The ability to make new materials with ease and control is necessary to walk into a new age of energy economy,” said Bharat Jalan, the senior author of the study. “There is already a historical link between the progress in science and the development of new technology. Millions of dollars go into making materials for various applications. Now, we’ve come up with a simpler and cheaper technology that makes better materials.”

These “stubborn” metals are used to make lots of products. “Bringing down the cost and difficulty of producing these metals will play a large role in both industrial and research efforts,” said William Nunn, the paper’s first author. “Now that making these metals into thin objects becomes easier, we want to see renewed interest in the materials which include these stubborn metals.” The research is published recently and extremely popular among readers.