Editing Plating (section)

=== Gold plating ===
{{main|Gold plating}}
[[Gold plating]] is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold on the surface of glass or metal, most often [[copper]] or silver.

Gold plating is often used in electronics, to provide a [[corrosion]]-resistant electrically conductive layer on copper, typically in [[electrical connector]]s and [[printed circuit board]]s. With direct gold-on-copper plating, the copper atoms have the tendency to diffuse through the gold layer, causing tarnishing of its surface and formation of an oxide/sulfide layer. Therefore, a layer of a suitable [[barrier metal]], usually nickel, has to be deposited on the copper substrate, forming a copper-nickel-gold sandwich.

Metals and glass may also be coated with gold for ornamental purposes, using a number of different processes usually referred to as ''[[gilding]]''.

Sapphires, plastics, and carbon fiber are some other materials that are able to be plated using advance plating techniques. The substrates that can be used are almost limitless.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epner.com/default/index.cfm/applications/plating-on-plastics/|title=Plating on Plastics|website=Epner Technology, Inc.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101233221/http://epner.com/default/index.cfm/applications/plating-on-plastics/|archive-date=2013-11-01|access-date=2013-10-30}}</ref>