A pigment from ancient Egypt to modern microscopy

Egyptian blue is one of the oldest manmade colour pigments. It adorns the crown of the world famous bust of Nefertiti: but the pigment can do even more. An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has produced a new nanomaterial based on the Egyptian blue pigment, which is ideally suited for applications in imaging using near infrared spectroscopy and microscopy. The results have been published in the journal Nature Communications.