The new crystal’s counterintuitive response to squeezing is the result of a spring-like arrangement of gold atoms nestled within its hexagonal structure. As the springs compress, the crystal grows longer, increasing its length by as much as 10 percent...
To make the new crystal, scientists mixed two salts in solution, one containing gold atoms; the other, zinc. When combined, the salts produce a translucent crystal called zinc dicyanoaurate. The crystal’s atomic structure resembles a lattice of six-pointed hexagons, with zinc atoms at the vertices and gold atoms flanked by cyanide molecules (a carbon atom bound to a nitrogen atom) in between.
Connecting the hexagons is the helical gold spring that helps absorb the applied pressure...
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