A 2022 claim by a team at New York University Abu Dhabi has been disputed as actually containing multiple layers.
Etching away the titanium carbide released free-standing goldene sheets that were up to 100 nanometres wide.
The etching was performed using Murakami's reagent, in a 100-year-old technique used to decorate ironwork by Japanese blacksmiths.
Surfactant molecules formed a barrier between goldene and the surrounding liquid — to stop the sheets from adhering.
[2] The team is exploring the potential for preparing goldene from other non-van der Waals Au-intercalated phases, including developing etching schemes.