Electrical Conductors
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| Element | Electrical resistivity @ 20°C | Density (near r.t.) |
| Silver | 15.87 nΩ·m | 10.49 g·cm−3 |
| Copper | 16.78 nΩ·m | 8.96 g·cm−3 |
| Gold | 22.14 nΩ·m | 19.3 g·cm−3 |
| Aluminum | 26.50 nΩ·m | 2.70 g·cm−3 |
| Magnesium | 43.9 nΩ·m | 1.738 g·cm−3 |
| Iron | 96.1 nΩ·m | 7.15 g·cm−3 |
| Chromium | 125.0 nΩ·m | 7.86 g·cm−3 |
| Titanium | 420.0 nΩ·m | 4.506 g·cm−3 |
| Manganese | 1440.0 nΩ·m | 7.21 g·cm−3 |
| Lower number => better conductor | r.t. = room temperature | |
| Red indicates not available on the Moon |
Contents
Silver
Silver is the best known conductor, but in an oxygen rich environment it tarnishes. Silver is used in specialized equipment, such as satellites, and as a thin plating to mitigate skin effect losses at high frequencies.
In the Lunar outdoors, (in a vacuum where it can't tarnish), silver would be a marginally better, if heavier, conductor than copper, and a way better, but much heavier, conductor than aluminum.
Silver is not readily available on the Moon.
Copper
As a general conductor copper is the most commonly used on Earth because it's cheap, reasonably flexible, reasonably light and the 2nd best conductor and the best per unit weight. Copper allows for ease of soldered and crimped/clamped connections. It corrodes worse than silver, this is usually seen in older wires that have turned green.
Copper is not readily available on the Moon.
Gold
Gold is is not an especially good conductor at all, though it is better than aluminum but not per unit weight due to it's much higher density. It is very expensive, but compared to the cost of transport to the Moon from Earth, the cost is not significant. Gold is usually only used as a conductor in very specialized applications such as very fine wires like those used to wire bond integrated circuits to their lead frames.
A more important everyday use of Gold is in connectors
For connectors gold reigns supreme for several reasons
- 1. It doesn't tarnish (important on Earth, important indoors on Luna)
- 2. It's soft, so you can make the connectors tight and they dig into each other forming a good connection.
Gold is not readily available on the Moon.
Aluminum
Aluminum is commonly used as a conductor here on earth, in fact you use it every day without realizing it. High Tension cables have a steel core and an aluminum outer layer. It's used because losses are fairly low at 110kV and the weight of the cable and cost of the towers is important. Steel cored aluminum cable allows a longer span and is the most common form of aluminum wire used for HT lines on Earth.
One major disadvantage of Aluminum on Earth is that it corrodes rapidly in an oxygen atmosphere. The corrosion does not go right through however, only forming a thin layer on the surfaces exposed to oxygen. On the moon, in a vacuum environment, it would be an excellent material to use.
As a general purpose electrical conductor it's not great, but considering that copper is not readily available on the Moon there appears to be no choice but to use aluminum. This means regular supply voltages higher than 110V would probably be better. In some places on Earth it is illegal to use aluminum for general wiring mostly as a result of fire risk caused by contractors using too light a gauge in the past.
Aluminum is abundant on the Moon.
Magnesium
Magnesium is not an especially good conductor, being less conductive than aluminum but it is lighter. It has some other major drawbacks which make it completely unsuitable for use in electrical installations. This metal burns in oxygen, or nitrogen (forming magnesium nitride) or even carbon-dioxide (forming magnesium oxide and carbon). Once burning, it's very difficult to extinguish. Magnesium also reacts with water.
This is a highly flammable metal, but while it is easy to ignite when powdered or shaved into thin strips, it is difficult to ignite in mass or bulk.
There are many other uses for magnesium but it is completely unsuitable for electrical wiring.
Magnesium is readily available on the Moon.
Iron
Widely used in many applications, not an especially good conductor, very prone to corrosion in a oxygen atmosphere.
Iron is rarely used in it's pure form for anything. Even railroads use steel, an iron alloy, for their tracks. Not suitable for flexible wiring, too brittle. The lower gravity on Luna may make it usable for some outdoor electric railroad applications.
Iron is abundant on the Moon.
Chromium
Not a very good electrical conductor by any means, but it does have it's uses in this field. Chromium Boride (CrB) is used as a high temperature electrical conductor.
There are many other uses for this metal.
Chromium is readily available on the Moon. (Boron is not known to be available)
Titanium
Titanium's properties as an electrical conductor can best be described as hopeless.
There are many far more suitable uses for this metal.
Titanium is readily available on the Moon.
Manganese
Manganese is an even more hopeless electrical conductor than titanium.
There are many far more suitable uses for this metal.
Manganese is readily available on the Moon.
