Description
Glass mirrors can be used in a broad range of applications in building, automobiles and systems for the transformation of solar energy into heat.
Whatever technique is used, the silver plating process involves several phases.
Firstly, the surface that is silver plated must be cleaned to eliminate fat and remove all impurities; spinning brushes are used for this and the carrying of cerium oxide in water. After rinsing it with distilled water, the surface is coated with a solution of stannous oxide whose reducing action allows the precipitation of the metallic silver from a solution of silver nitrate.
The reflective metallic film is then coated with a layer of copper, which was obtained by nebulization of the metal or by electrolytic coppering, whose purpose is to protect it, over time, from oxidisation.
Lastly, the layer of copper is coated with a paint that ensures mechanical protection of the metallic layers and is another barrier against oxidisation.
If the opaque paint is not applied, the so-called one-way mirror is obtained, a reflective glass which is obtained by covering a surface of the transparent glass with a layer of metallic oxides by nebulization in a vacuum.
In certain light conditions, this permits one to observe a room, while being in another room, without the observed person knowing they can be seen.