Ancient pigment to help design supertrains.
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You must have heard of the famous Terracotta Army.
Ancient Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (3rd century BC)) ordered his invincible army to protect and accompany him after death. For over thirty years more than 700,000 craftsmen worked day and night to create this unique guard.
Terracotta figures of warriors, officials, acrobats, musicians, and even horses were colourfully painted and placed in the concealed tomb of the ruler of China. Damp soil preserved the bright colours for centuries until the mausoleum was discovered in 1974. Exposed to open air the statues faded rapidly. Only small fragments of pigmets were left.
This is when the mysterious colour comes to light.
Recent research found that among 12 main pigments used on the figures there was one with extraordinary features. It is called Han purple or Chinese purple. At the time of imperial China blue colours came from a mineral azurite. But natural purple was missing.
At a high temperature of 1000 degrees new pigment was produced (could have been a by-product of glass manufacturing). The new substance contained barium, copper, silicon carefully ground at exact proportions. Finally that royal hint was found. And it only strengthened with time.
However, with the downfall of the Han dynasty (around 220 AD) the powerful pigment was abandoned. It was rediscovered with the Terracotta Army.
But that is not all.
In 2006, scientists took the purple paint to Tallahassee, Florida, USA, to test its properties at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
The results were mind-blowing.
The miniscule piece of the painted terracotta proved to be a technological wonder.
It was placed inside the world's most powerful magnet. Liquid helium cooled the material to extreme degree. The chemical structure and magnetic behaviour of the pigment changed. It lost one dimension!
It opens a whole new world for future inventions. New knowledge will help build more powerful and energy efficient trains and quantum computing systems.
Superconductivity is at large with this rediscovered royal pigment.
Find Russian version of the story at Fact and Story channel in Russian Vasserman's Vest (Жилетка Вассермана)