Properties and Applications of Copper

The word copper comes from the Latin word ‘cuprum’, which means ‘ore of Cyprus’. This is why the chemical symbol for copper is Cu. Copper has many extremely useful properties, including good electrical conductivity, good thermal conductivity , corrosion resistance as well as easy to alloy, hygienic, easily joined, ductile, non-magnetic and more. As advanced material provider, Nexteck Technology supply various copper products, such as pure copper, copper nickel alloy, copper manganese alloy and copper CTB alloy.

Copper has the best electrical conductivity of any metal, except silver. A good electrical conductivity is the same as a small electrical resistance. An electric current will flow through all metals, however they still have some resistance, meaning the current needs to be pushed (by a battery) in order to keep flowing. The bigger the resistance, the harder we have to push (and the smaller the current is). Current flows easily through copper thanks to its small electrical resistance, without much loss of energy. This is why copper wires are used in mains cables in houses and underground (although overhead cables tend be aluminum because it is less dense). However, where size rather than weight is important, copper is the best choice. 

Thick copper strip is used for lightning conductors on tall buildings like church spires. The copper strip has to be thick so that it can carry a large current without melting. Copper wire can be wound into a coil. The coil will produce a magnetic field and, being made of copper, won’t waste much electrical energy. Copper coils can be found in electromagnets, motors, dynamos and transformers.

Copper is a good conductor of heat. This means that if you heat one end of a piece of copper, the other end will quickly reach the same temperature. Most metals are pretty good conductors; however, apart from silver, copper is the best. It is used in many heating applications because it doesn’t corrode and has a high melting point. The only other material that has similar resistance to corrosion is stainless steel. However, its thermal conductivity is 30 times worse than that of copper. Copper allows heat to pass through it quickly. It is therefore used in many applications where quick heat transfer is important. These include copper plate, copper pipes and heat sinks.