Gold Innovations Blog

‘Gold’ in this story could just relate to the colour rather than the metal itself but, although it doesn’t say it specifically, I suspect this might actually be a new market niche for gold. The story says:

Gold aircraft window coatings by PPG Industries’ aerospace transparencies group are being introduced at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual meeting and convention offer aircraft manufacturers aesthetic choices in solar-reflective coating technology. PPG’s solar-reflective coatings for glass and plastic aircraft windows reduce the amount of infrared energy entering the cockpit and cabin for cooler temperatures and reduced air-conditioning load.

Gold’s role in glazing applications has been known for a long time (see this Gold Bulletin paper here). I imagine this technology maybe based on the application of gold nanoparticles – as highlighted in this other Gold Bulletin paper- rather than the more traditional sputtered coatings.