Why Is Silver Glass Used As A Mirror?
Ever looked at the back of a mirror? You may be wondering if it appears to be painted in silver. But in reality it is not painted, coated or plated.
Ever looked at the back of a mirror? You may be wondering if it appears to be painted in silver. But in reality it is not painted, coated or plated. In order to turn glass into a mirror, it goes through a chemical process. In which a thin layer of silver is produced on the surface of the glass. This process is known as coating.
line pipe supplier is an ordinary mirror, coated on its back surface with silver, which produces images by reflection. This kind of glass mirror is produced by coating a silver, copper film and two or more layers of waterproof paint on the back surface of float glass, which perfectly resists acid and moisture. A silver glass mirror provides clear and actual images, is quite durable, and is widely used on many areas.
5 reasons why mirrors are silver-plated
There are many different metals that are used for silver plating. They are silver, gold, aluminium, zinc, copper and platinum. The two most common metals used for mirror plating are gold and silver. The following are the top 5 reasons for using silver for mirrors.
Silver Mirror Glass
1. Protected silver provides a versatile plating material
Silver itself is a versatile metal. Depending on its application, its plating has a variety of functions. It is classified as a precious metal in the periodic table of elements. For many years it has been used worldwide in glass coatings to make mirrors. All its properties such as thermal conductivity and metallurgy are universal.
2. Protected silver plating with high reflectivity
Protected silver coatings offer the highest reflectivity in the visible and infra-red spectrum in the range of 500-800nm. This high reflective property makes it the preferred choice for a wide range of infrared applications. Silver plating has a high potential for damage under UV light. To counteract this tarnishing effect, various special coating materials are added to form an additional protective layer to avoid damage.
3. Protected silver coatings with low emissivity
The choice of plating material depends on its emissivity, i.e. the amount of energy emitted from its surface. Although bare silver has a high emissivity, it cannot be used for plating purposes. Protected silver, however, has a low emissivity, making it the perfect material for practical optical mirrors used in telescopes and other instruments. If any coating material has a high emissivity, it tends to reduce the reflectivity.
Silver Mirror Glass
4. Silver plating is an economical alternative to gold
Gold has been used for centuries for plating applications. As the cost of gold plating has increased, silver offers the best alternative. It is an inexpensive metal and is widely mined around the world. Due to its low cost and high efficiency it is used in the automotive, telecommunications, electronics and solar industries as an economical alternative to gold and other metals.
5. Protected silver coating provides effective protection against moisture
Experts say that the protective silver coating is effective against moisture. This is because it absorbs more heat energy when UV light hits it. This light energy is converted into heat and has been found to be effective against corrosion. To make the silver highly resistant to corrosion, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer is deposited together with the silver plating. This layer acts as a barrier for highly absorbing mirrors.
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