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Gold Foil (Light Tight)
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Purity | Thickness | Sides | Temper Options | Surface Finish Options | Special Variants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9% to 99.999% | 0.0025mm to 2mm | 10mm to 178.5mm | As Rolled | Polished on both sides | Non Light Tested |
Need custom configurations? Please contact our Technical Solutions team.
Key Features
Gold foil possesses a combination of material characteristics that make it particularly well suited for electronics, aerospace, biomedical, and scientific applications:
Exceptional Chemical Inertness
Gold is highly resistant to oxidation and corrosion, maintaining chemical stability in a wide range of environments, including strong acids, alkalis, and oxidising gases. Its stability under aggressive conditions ensures long-term reliability in corrosive or reactive systems.
High Melting Point (1,064 °C)
With a high melting point of 1,064°C, gold remains structurally stable in extreme thermal conditions. This property is especially suitable for high-temperature tooling, thermal shielding, soldering and brazing fixtures.
High Density (19.32 g/cm³)
Gold's high density contributes to excellent dimensional stability. Even for ultra-thin foils, it maintains precision and vibration resistance, which are critical for advanced applications such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) — especially resonators and inertial sensors.
High Electrical Conductivity (22.14 nΩ·m)
Gold's exceptional conductivity ensures minimal ohmic loss, making it a preferred material for corrosion-resistant electrical contacts, connectors, and microelectronic components. Its low resistivity supports high-frequency performance in RF/microwave systems — including transmission lines and resonators — while also enabling precision EMI/RFI shielding coatings.
Optical Reflectivity & Infrared Performance
Gold foil's high reflectivity — particularly in the infrared spectrum — makes it indispensable for spacecraft thermal control films, satellite reflectors, and precision optical coatings. Its optical stability and resistance to oxidation also support applications in laser optics and IR sensors.
Exceptional Ductility & Malleability
One of the most ductile and malleable metals, gold can be rolled into ultra-thin foils without cracking. These properties enable the precision forming, fine-feature patterning, and high-surface-area coverage required for high-reliability micro-connectors, flexible interconnects, and other advanced applications.
Biocompatibility
Naturally bioinert and non-toxic, gold is used in medical devices, neural implants, biosensors, and even foods. It does not trigger adverse immune responses, making it suitable for prolonged contact with biological tissues and fluids.
Industrial Applications
High-purity gold foil is used across high-technology sectors for its high electrical conductivity, chemical inertness, malleability, and thermal stability:
- ✦ Aerospace & Space Systems
- Employed in spacecraft thermal insulation and infrared reflectors, where its high reflectivity and resistance to degradation ensure long-term performance in vacuum and radiation environments.
- ✦ Electronics & RF Engineering
- Used in high-frequency microwave circuits, resonators, precision connectors, and high-reliability EMI/RFI shielding — owing to its low resistivity and unmatched corrosion resistance.
- ✦ Flexible & Microelectronic Interconnects
- Forms ultra-thin, crack-resistant conductive pathways in flexible printed circuits and precision micro-connectors due to its ductility and resistance to corrosion.
- ✦ Scientific Instrumentation
- Employed in vacuum systems, optical mirrors, and X-ray reflectors for its inertness, high reflectivity, and dimensional stability under varying pressures and temperatures.
- ✦ Medical & Bioelectronic Devices
- Used in implantable electrodes, biosensors, and micro-scale medical devices where biocompatibility, electrical performance, and long-term corrosion resistance are essential.
Synonyms
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 79 |
| Crystal structure | Face centred cubic |
| Electronic structure | Xe 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s¹ |
| Valences shown | 1,3 |
| Atomic weight( amu ) | 196.9665 |
| Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns ) | 98.8 |
| Photo-electric work function( eV ) | 4.8 |
| Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm ) | 0.144 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 1/ 9.22 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 2/ 20.5 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Material condition | Soft |
| Material condition | Hard |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.42 |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.42 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 171 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 171 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 78.5 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 78.5 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 20-30 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 60 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 130 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 220 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 205 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | - |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 2.20@20°C |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.004@0-100°C |
| Thermal emf against Pt (cold 0C - hot 100C)( mV ) | 0.74 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Boiling point( C ) | 3080 |
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 19.3@20°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 1064.4 |
| Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ ) | 1738 |
| Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ ) | 64.9 |
| Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ) | 129@25°C |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 318@0-100°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 14.1@0-100°C |
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |
| Linear dimension | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Linear dimension | >=100mm | +2 / -1% |