Gold is simply the best material that will work for many, if not all electronic applications. This is especially important nowadays, where telecommunications is equal to actually living your life, and where information technology is critical to all jobs. For instance, the now popular and ubiquitous mobile phone is also composed of gold-plated components. Most of the old computers will have edge connectors plated with gold on the circuit boards.

Due to the growth of the telecommunications and information technology sectors, gold consumption is rapidly increasing annually, and many people invest in gold because of its usefulness. For example, in 2007, about 280 tonnes of gold were channeled into the manufacture of electronics and electrical components. When small voltages are needed, and if the circuitry required is complex, or if a component or parts need to be very reliable, gold comes in handy and is the metal of choice.

The properties of gold lend it usefulness in electronics. It is resistant to corrosion. It is easy to work with an extremely malleable. It has high thermal conductivity, so that it can carry energy fast. It also has high electrical conductivity. The only metals that edge out gold in terms of electrical conductivity are copper and silver, but both these metals are also easily corroded or tarnished. When other metals can easily change shape, color, or form, gold stays the same, remains inert, and is still durable.

So if engineers need something resistant to corrosion and tarnish, it is gold, or a gold alloy, that is used. Engineers can use gold for plating. Because gold is resistant to environmental stresses, it can still keep bonded to wires or it can be plated for a long time onto metals and remain unaltered. Thus, it can still have the same technical performance over a long period of time.

More sophisticated equipment that is more demanding needs gold. In telecommunications, automotives, defense systems, and computers, gold is useful. There are still many more uses for gold that are being discovered: research has shown that it can be used to create high strength connecting wires or improve solder alloys. With more research, gold can be used in integrated electronic devices, especially those that are designed on the nanometer scale. Because gold is resistant to oxidation, it will still hold its form no matter what scale it is used in.

Gold Uses