Copper
Element 29 · chemical symbol: Cu
These Vrulum profiles mention Copper by name. Read each profile for its specific context; a mention alone does not establish composition, performance or use of the pure element.
For periodic-table data and other properties, consult the Royal Society of Chemistry periodic table.
Related technology profiles
Optical interconnects and co-packaged optics
Optical interconnects carry data between chips, switches and racks as light rather than electrical current. Co-packaged optics (CPO) places the optical engines inside the same package as the switch or processor, which shortens the electrical links and may reduce power per bit, but the approach is still in early industrial use.
Superconducting power cables
High-temperature superconducting cables can carry large currents through compact conductors when they are kept cold. A small number of cables and fault-current limiters now run in real grids, but these are specialised links rather than a superconducting grid.
The electric motor
An electric motor turns electrical energy into rotary motion using magnetic force, a principle Michael Faraday demonstrated at the Royal Institution in 1821. From Thomas Davenport's battery-powered motor of 1837 and Nikola Tesla's alternating-current patents of 1888, it now powers electric vehicles and starter motors in the form of permanent-magnet and induction designs.