How To Turn Ink To Silver

Scientists have found a way to turn patterned inkjet ink into silver.

Using a combination of spin coating and the printing material, they were able to refine down ink to silver by exposing it to UV light and a special chemical solution.

The process is said to take just under one minute to complete and is done at room temperature, according to the study published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry.

This is an interesting reversal of usage since printing with metallic colours such as silver has become increasingly popular over the last few years.

Many of these paints and inks contain trace amounts of shiny metals, such as silver, in order to give the colour the correct metallic sheen.

According to printing guides, those who wish to use metallic inks for printing should use coated paper, as it does not absorb the ink in a similar way to regular paper and therefore gives an ideal level of desired metallic reflection.

Posted by Ramsey Dehani.