Topic Archive: General Interest Applications

  • May. '07
    Copper-based Solar Cells:
    Good for the Environment, Good for the Consumer

    Copper has long been used in solar heating/hot water systems, where it is commonly used in heat exchangers. Now, it promises to become equally valuable in photovoltaic (PV) systems. These systems produce electricity through the action of sunshine on certain semiconductors, including so-called thin-film materials and the currently most promising material: copper indium gallium diselenide or CIGS.
  • Apr. '07
    The Presidential Dollars
    Golden Collectibles or the Next Coin of the Realm? The U.S. Mint is betting it's got it right this time. The Mint placed into circulation the first of its new golden dollar coins featuring, for the initial issue, George Washington.
  • Jul. '06
    Copper Makes Beer Better: Control of Hydrogen Sulfide in Beer with a Copper Electrolysis System
    Hydrogen Sulfide (H 2S), a volatile sulfur compound, is a normal byproduct of the fermenting process. But, research has shown that people are very sensitive to the odor of H 2S and can detect this odor as an off-flavor at very low concentrations. Researchers have found that the most effective means to control H 2S is by using copper which removes the H 2S as copper sulfide (CuS) which can then be removed from the final product.
  • Jan. '02
    The New Economy
    The transition from an industrial to an information-based economy could increase our reliance on copper.
  • Dec. '01
    A Case for the Role of Copper Deficiency in "Mad-Cow" Disease and Human Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
    It has recently been suggested that copper also affects a newly identified class of ailments known as prion diseases, particularly the case for scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") in cattle.
  • Jun. '01
    Maitreya Project: Nickel-Aluminum Bronze Selected for World's Largest Statue
    The economic situation in Bihar State, one of the poorest areas in India, will be transformed by plans to construct the world's largest statue there. The Maitreya Project is planning to build a 500-ft (152-m)-tall, 50-story-high bronze statue of the Buddha Maitreya at Bodhgaya in Bihar.
  • Jun. '00
    Medical Uses of Copper in Antiquity
    Beyond ordinary food supplements, your medicine cabinet may one day be stocked with copper-containing medicines for the cure of a variety of illnesses.
  • Mar. '00
    All That Glitters is Mostly Copper - Part 2
    New U.S. "Golden Dollar", Made from New Bronze Alloy: Incorporates Innovative Metallurgical Technology.
  • Mar. '00
    All That Glitters is Mostly Copper - Part 1
    New U.S. "Golden Dollar", Made from New Bronze Alloy: Incorporates Innovative Metallurgical Technology.
  • Jan. '00
    Speeding-up Your Computer in the 21st Century Using Copper ICs
    A look at the potential for the computer industry of recently developed new technology involving copper, which has two-thirds the electrical resistance of aluminum.
  • Nov. '99
    High Tech House Runs on Copper
    How new solar cells based on a complex alloy of copper, indium, selenium, gallium and sulfur allow high-tech house to run even during local power failure.
  • Nov. '99
    Copper - Keeping Up Appearances
    Bronze has been used as a sculptors' medium since the 1500s. A look at patination, especially on outdoor sculpture, including waxes, patinas and cleaning options. The EU's "Environmental Protection and Conservation of European Cultural Heritage" has developed a successful product, OROCOMER.
  • Sep. '99
    Copper Racing to Success
    New formulation using a few parts per million of copper in sunflower oil proving to be as good as the best formulated mineral engine oils. Review of chemical makeup of different types of oils, pros and cons of new compound.
  • Sep. '99
    Copper Patents
    A report on 10 of the copper-related Patent Briefs submitted for 1998.
  • Jul. '99
    The Fate of Copper Released from the Vasa Ship Museum
    Look at changes in the corrosion and run-off rates of copper from the roof of the Vasa Ship museum in Stockholm and its effects on surrounding non-copper building materials.
  • Jul. '99
    Copper's Role in Radioactive Waste Disposal III - The US Experience
    Trace copper's role in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) waste management program, looking at why copper and copper alloys made it to a "short list" of several viable materials and why metals other than copper were ultimately selected.
  • Jun. '99
    Scrap Terminology and Classifications
    Review of the many forms and sources of scrap copper.
  • Jun. '99
    Copper: The Durable Metal
    Look at home and industrial uses for copper based on its durability, recycleability and other properties.
  • Jun. '99
    Copper Increases Efficiency of Solar Cells
    Siemens Solar Group is testing the capabilities of a new thin-film photovoltaic module created by applying a fine film of copper indium diselenide (CIS) to a glass backing to product a less expensive semi-conductor.
  • Mar. '99
    Power Quality and Your Computer
    Power requirements of "sensitive electronic equipment" and how copper wiring can help ensure consistent electric power quality.
  • Mar. '99
    Property Data on The Copper Page
    A new Web site will make available an expanded version of the data in the Copper Development Association's (CDA) Standards Handbook series.
  • Dec. '98
    Copper's Role in the Safe Disposal of Radioactive Waste: Copper's Relevant Properties - Part I
    Background material on what radioactive waste is, how much exists, and what makes copper a good choice as a container for buried radwaste.
  • Nov. '98
    The Metal of Civilization Standards B115 and B49
    A look at two of the American Society for Testing and Materials' (ASTM) technical committees' choices for their most significant standards; B115, which is accepted worldwide as the ultimate standard for the production and commercial trading of copper; and B49, the Standard Specification for Copper Redraw Rod for Electrical Purposes, which was first developed in 1923.
  • Sep. '98
    Dollar Coin - Design and Materials
    The second US Mint's stakeholders' meeting was held on Wednesday, August 12, 1998 in Washington D.C. to brief the Coin Coalition (a group which promotes the introduction of a new dollar coin) and other interested parties on the technical aspects of the new dollar coin including the alloy design.
  • Sep. '98
    How Do They Do That? Making Copper Plumbing Tube
    A tour of a modern copper tube mill illustrating how copper plumbing materials are produced.
  • Jun. '98
    Overview of Recycled Copper
    Walk through process of recycling copper, which accounts for almost half of all copper produced and sold in America every year.
  • May. '98
    The Secret to Staying Young
    Utah's Bingham Canyon, an open pit mine goes from boom (1980) to bust (1982) and back to boom (today) through investment in new technology.
  • Apr. '98
    Home Automation Comes of Age: The Future Has Finally Arrived!
    Faster computers, more bandwidth and other innovations in the PC are leadingĀ  to the advent of the truly automatic home. Today's version typically supportsĀ  interactive voice, data, video, and multimedia, with access to high-performance  cabling and interconnection to telephone, cable TV, digital satellite, cellular  telephone, and utility telemetry services.
  • Mar. '98
    The Butte Copper Mines
    Brief history of Montana's copper mines, which began as gold and silver mines.
  • Mar. '98
    Paul Revere - Copper Industry Pioneer
    A look at the copper-related achievements of Paul Revere, including production of the first rolled copper sheets in the US, production of the first cast bell in Boston, and being a major supplier of copper for the US Navy fleet which included nails, bolts, spikes and sheathing.
  • Mar. '98
    The History of Brass Making in the Naugatuck Valley
    Review of some of the factors that influenced the emergence of brass manufacturing in Connecticut and a history of brassmaking in the Naugatuck Valley.
  • Dec. '97
    The Metallurgy of Copper Wire
    A technical discussion of pertinent developments spanning the past several decades in the copper wire industry.