Main Content
Gold in Industry
.jpg)
Gold has a multitude of uses within industry because of its unique properties.
Gold-based alloys are used in industrial brazing or soldering. Gold alloy is ideal for this use because of its resistance to oxidation and corrosion and its ability to function well at extreme temperatures. Gold-based allows were used in the US Columbia space shuttle engines because of its resilience to extreme environments.
When palladium is added to gold alloys its resistance to oxidation and elevated temperatures is increased further. This material, which is known as a superalloy, is often used in aggressive environments like jet engines.
Gold is naturally ductile and malleable and lends itself to being drawn into very thin wires and also beaten into very thin sheets known as gold leaf, which are so thin that they are sometimes transparent.. Gold leaf is often used for decorative purposes in both interior and exterior situations. In addition to gold leaf there are other gold based products which are used for decorative purposes like, plating salts, rolled gold and liquid gold.
Gold toners are used in photography as a means of stabilizing and protecting the silver image.
It is used as a reflective layer on some CDs.
Gold is used as a protective layer in the suits and visors of astronauts because it is a good reflector of electromagnetic radiation. A protective layer of gold allows astronauts to work safely in space without the lethal effects of radiation. It was also used in the surveying equipment of the Mars Global Surveyor which mapped the surface of Mars.
Gold is used in the engine components of some Formula 1 racing cars.
A thin layer of transparent gold can be used as a means of de-icing aircraft windscreens. Whilst providing a completely invisible coating, electricity can be passed through it to de-ice the aircrafts window.