Researchers Continue to Find New Uses for Silver That Seem Like Science Fiction

Silver used in the industrial and technology sectors accounts for more than half of the demand, and the uses for silver continue to expand. 

Some of these innovations sound like they come straight out of a science fiction movie.

According to the Silver Institute, industrial demand is expected to rise by 4 percent to a record 690 million ounces in 2024. Photovoltaics (PV) and automotive industries are the key drivers. Specifically, new, higher-efficiency N-type solar cells being phased in require more silver than older solar panel technology. 

While the solar sector is the fastest-growing silver consumer, researchers continue to find new uses for the metal. 

The Silver Institute highlighted some of the advancements using silver in the latest edition of Silver News.

• Silver nanoparticles can apparently kill biting midges without the use of harsh pesticides. Biting midges are tiny flying insects that spread deadly diseases among livestock. Eradication of these pests usually requires draining wetlands that are vital to the ecosystem or using toxic insecticides that detrimentally affect the environment. There may be a better solution. Researchers at Kansas State University, the University of Arkansas, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that 250 milligrams per liter of silver nanoparticles in water can destroy about 90 percent of midge larvae. 
• Silver, apples, and copper could curtail oil pipeline corrosion. Sulfur found in inorganic compounds in oil causes corrosion. Researchers at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (Kaliningrad) are synthesizing silver and copper microparticles that adhere to sulfur atoms, essentially taking sulfur out of the picture. Pectin, a soluble fiber found in fruits and most abundant in apples, stabilizes the copper-silver compound. 
• Bandages that use electricity to speed up healing are not new, but energizing these bandages is difficult. A team of U.S. and Korean researchers may have the solution. They took an off-the-shelf bandage and added two electrodes to one side and a thin inactive battery on the other. The battery contained a magnesium anode and a silver chloride cathode separated by a layer of cellulose impregnated with sodium chloride (salt crystals). When a drop of water was applied to the cellulose layer, it produced about 1.5 volts at a very low current so that the patient’s tissue would not be harmed. 
• A cell phone that fixes itself? This sounds like science fiction, but it could become a reality. Some ‘self-healing’ materials, such as certain concretes, polymers, and ceramics, can fix small cracks or dents with the application of light, heat, or chemicals. Now, Chinese scientists have observed self-healing in nanoscale silver without any outside intervention. Their studies on nanoscale silver seen under electron microscopes have shown that the metal can repair tiny damage, such as nanocracks and nanopores, with no external involvement. Even more remarkable is that this occurs not only at room temperature but in extremely low temperatures down to -100 degrees Celsius. 
• Although silver nanowires have many medical uses, some researchers have found that gold nanowires may work better for connecting nerve cells directly with medical devices. However, it is difficult to produce such thin gold nanowires. Researchers have found that by using more easily produced silver nanowires as support, they can not only form the gold nanowires but combine them with silicone, making the wires more flexible and stronger. 

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