Gold and silver dichroic nanocomposite in the quest for 3D printing the Lycurgus cup

• Lars Kool,
• Floris Dekker,
• Anton Bunschoten,
• Glen J. Smales,
• Brian R. Pauw,
• Aldrik H. Velders and
• Vittorio Saggiomo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 16–23, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.2

• Berlin, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.11.2 Abstract The Lycurgus cup is an ancient glass artefact that shows dichroism as it looks green when a white light is reflected on it and a red colouring appears when a white light is transmitted through it. This peculiar dichroic effect is due to silver and gold

• Lycurgus cup. Keywords: 3D printing; dichroism; Lycurgus cup; nanocomposite; Introduction The Lycurgus cup is, without any doubt, one of the most fascinating glass artefacts in the history of humankind [1]. This 4th century Roman cup, classified as cage cup, is a wonderful masterpiece of glass working

• from the Roman Empire. Art historians and glass artists alike have wondered at the fabrication of its intricate structure since its first discovery [2]. Whether the cup was used as a drinking cup, lampshade or as decoration is still under debate [3]. The Lycurgus cup is worldwide admired in particular

Gold nanoparticles embedded in a polymer as a 3D-printable dichroic nanocomposite material

• Lars Kool,
• Anton Bunschoten,
• Aldrik H. Velders and
• Vittorio Saggiomo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 442–447, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.43

• 4th century puzzled scientists for long time: The Lycurgus cup [7]. This cup has a very peculiar dichroic filter property [8], as its color is dependent on the illumination angle, changing from clear red (transmittance) to opaque green (reflectance). It was later found that this optical property was

• due to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of different sizes and shapes [9][10]. However, only the Lycurgus cup, now stored in the British Museum, and six other broken pieces showing the same dichroic effect were found worldwide, hinting that the achievement of such an optical

Nanoparticle shapes by using Wulff constructions and first-principles calculations

• Georgios D. Barmparis,
• Zbigniew Lodziana,
• Nuria Lopez and
• Ioannis N. Remediakis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 361–368, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.35

• degree in nanoparticle size control was achieved very early. This is demonstrated by the famous Lycurgus cup, that changes color due to directional light scattering combined with adsorption by the nanoparticle plasmon resonances, or the colorful windows in the facades of medieval cathedrals. Therefore