Silver has a unique light reflectivity of 100 percent when polished and can be used in mirrors, glass, cellophane or metal. Many batteries, rechargeable and disposable, use silver alloys as cathodes. Although more expensive, silver-containing batteries have a better energy ratio than other types of batteries. The most common are button sized silver oxide batteries (which contain 35% silver), commonly used in watches, cameras and similar electronics.
A large number of chemical reactions use reticulated and crystalline silver as a catalyst. For example, silver is used as a catalyst for formaldehyde in plastics production and as a catalyst for the oxidation of ethylene in the petrochemical industry. The flexibility and strength of silver promotes the joining of materials (above 600 ℃ is called brazing, the following is called soft soldering). Silver brazing alloys are used in a wide range of applications, from air conditioners, refrigerators and other electrical equipment, to the automotive and aerospace and aviation industries. Compared with other bearings, bearings plated with high-purity silver have higher fatigue strength and load capacity, and are therefore used in a variety of high-tech and heavy loads.