Silver has also long been used to braze materials together. Silver has a unique affinity for oxygen. This property is critical to high temperature superconductors, which will revolutionize the transmission and storage of electrical power and the efficiency of motors and most other electrical equipment. In this application, silver not only prevents the loss of oxygen, but also acts as a source of nascent oxygen, essential to the operation of the superconductor. When silver is sintered with superconducting materials, the silver matrix itself displays superconducting properties.
Silver is also a powerful oxidative catalyst for the chemical process industry.
A worldwide inventory of some 30 million ounces of silver are in daily use for catalytic oxidation in it's chemical reactors. The production of polyester fabrics, hydraulic fluids, engine antifreezes, and most flexible plastics, such as Mylar, is made more efficient by the use of silver.