Laser 'Alchemy'
Chunlei Guo, the researcher who used intense laser light to alter the properties of a variety of metals to render them pitch black, is pushing the process further. Using a tabletop laser, he and his colleagues announced in February they have discovered a process for making pure aluminum look gold or blue or gray. The process appears to work for every metal tested, including platinum, titanium, tungsten, silver, and gold. Guo believes it’s possible to alter the properties of any metal to turn it any color—even multicolored iridescence like a butterfly’s wings.
