In 2025, precious metals like gold and silver proved their worth beyond jewelry and finance – they were at the heart of several cutting-edge technology breakthroughs. From medical innovations to green energy solutions, researchers around the world harnessed gold and silver in novel ways. Below are six of the top global tech news stories of 2025 where gold and silver played a key role, spanning medicine, energy, and computing.

1. Gold Nanoparticles Restore Vision in Retinal Disease Patients

Scientists at Brown University developed a “golden” prosthetic for vision that could help millions suffering from retinal degeneration (such as macular degeneration). In a breakthrough study, they injected gold nanoparticles into the retinas of blind lab mice and used infrared lasers to stimulate those particles, effectively bypassing damaged photoreceptor cells. The laser-excited gold nanoparticles generate heat, which activates the eye’s inner neurons (bipolar and ganglion cells) further down the visual pathway, allowing signals to reach the brain despite non-functional rods and cones. Treated mice showed partial vision restoration, and importantly, the approach caused no significant inflammation or toxicity in tests. Researchers envision a future where patients could wear special laser-emitting goggles to regain sight – without invasive surgery or gene therapy. As lead author Jiarui Nie noted, this gold nanoparticle–based retinal prosthesis “has the potential to restore vision lost to retinal degeneration without… complicated surgery or genetic modification,” offering new hope for conditions like macular degeneration.

2. Silver-Ion Film Greatly Extends Electric Vehicle Battery Life

A team at Korea University unveiled a groundbreaking battery technology that uses silver ions to solve a major limitation of next-gen batteries: dendrites. Dendrites are tiny metallic filaments that grow in lithium-metal batteries and can cause short-circuits and failure. The researchers created an ultra-thin film (under 40 nm) made of alternating layers of silver ions and an organic compound, which stabilizes the battery’s lithium anode and prevents dendrite growth. In tests, lithium-metal battery cells coated with this nano-thin silver-based film survived 2,000 hours of cycling and still retained 96% of their capacity after 1,300 charge–discharge cycles. This is a dramatic improvement in battery lifespan. The film, deposited at room temperature under simple conditions, guides lithium plating evenly (thanks to the silver ions) and acts as a protective barrier. By enabling safer, longer-lasting lithium-metal batteries, the silver-ion interface could accelerate the commercialization of high-range EVs. The researchers noted the technology is easily extendable to other metal batteries (like sodium or zinc batteries), potentially heralding a new generation of higher-capacity, longer-life energy storage.

3. Virus-Templated Silver Nanoparticles Kill Superbugs & Slow Resistance

In the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers at the University of California achieved a notable biotech first: they used a virus as a template to grow silver nanoparticles that are extraordinarily effective antimicrobials. By using the M13 bacteriophage (a harmless virus that infects bacteria) as a nano-scaffold, the team synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with a unique spiked morphology. The result was a 30-fold increase in antibacterial potency compared to regular silver nanoparticles. These biotemplated AgNPs not only kill drug-resistant bacteria more efficiently, but they also delay the emergence of resistance in the microbes. Lab tests showed bacteria exposed to the phage-grown silver developed resistance at a rate 10 times slower than with standard silver particles. The improved efficacy comes from the virus-induced structure providing more reactive surface area and multi-modal antibacterial action. Importantly, this method addresses prior challenges of silver nanoparticles (toxicity and inconsistent potency) by creating highly active particles at lower doses. Published in ACS Langmuir, the work suggests that biotemplating with viruses could produce a new class of safe, powerful nanomedicines to combat superbugs. This silver-based innovation offers a promising new weapon against antimicrobial resistance worldwide.

4. Gold Nanoclusters Point to Scalable Quantum Computing

A collaboration between Penn State and Colorado State University demonstrated that tiny gold clusters can act as stable, scalable qubits – units of quantum information – potentially revolutionizing quantum computing and sensors. They showed that chemically synthesized gold nanoclusters (acting as “superatoms”) can mimic the quantum spin properties of single atoms traditionally used in high-precision quantum systems. Remarkably, these gold clusters exhibited long-lived, tunable spin polarization and supported multiple Rydberg-like spin states (high-energy electron configurations crucial for quantum operations). By tweaking the molecules attached to the gold cluster (the ligands), the team could adjust the electron spin alignment, achieving up to 40% spin polarization, comparable to some of the best 2D quantum materials. Ken Knappenberger, the lead researcher, noted that “for the first time, we show gold nanoclusters have the same key spin properties as state-of-the-art [ion traps],” yet in a readily scalable solid form. Unlike trapped ion or atom systems which are hard to scale up, gold nanoclusters can be produced in quantity and are less sensitive to environmental noise, while still behaving like atomic-scale qubits. This proof-of-concept suggests a new, chemically tunable platform for quantum information processing – one where gold’s well-known stability and malleability could help build larger quantum devices. It’s an exciting convergence of chemistry and quantum physics, using gold to pave the way for the next generation of quantum computers and sensors.

5. Gold–Palladium Catalyst Turns Greenhouse Gas into Useful Fuel

In a win for green chemistry, researchers designed a palladium–gold alloy catalyst that uses solar energy to convert methane (CH₄) – a potent greenhouse gas – into ethylene (C₂H₄), a valuable industrial chemical. This innovation addresses climate change and resource needs simultaneously: methane is 28–36 times more impactful than CO₂ over a century, and ethylene is a key feedstock for plastics and chemicals. The team’s new photocatalytic process coats titanium dioxide with a Pd–Au alloy, which when exposed to ultraviolet light can break the strong C–H bonds of methane and catalyze the formation of carbon–carbon bonds. The result is that waste methane (for example, from landfills or natural gas flaring) is oxidatively coupled into ethylene using only sunlight and the PdAu catalyst. In tests, the Pd–Au/TiO₂ catalyst achieved methane conversion rates around 13.7 mmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ and produced 0.18 mmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ of ethylene, with a quantum efficiency of 12% under 350 nm light – significantly outperforming previous catalysts for this reaction. These are among the highest efficiencies reported to date for photocatalytic methane upgrading. By effectively removing a harmful greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and converting it into a useful product, the gold-infused catalyst showcases how precious metals can drive sustainable technology. The research (published in J. Am. Chem. Soc.) opens the door to solar-powered reactors that clean the air while generating industrial commodities.

6. Silver Nanowire Catalyst Boosts CO₂-to-Fuel Conversion

Another 2025 breakthrough harnessed silver for tackling carbon emissions: a joint team from South Korea’s DGIST and Caltech developed a novel photocatalyst that converts CO₂ into methane fuel far more efficiently than previous methods. The key was introducing atomic defects and integrating non-stoichiometric silver sulfide (Ag₂S) nanowires into a titanium dioxide (TiO₂) catalyst. These silver nanowires with a deliberately off-stoichiometry create strong internal electric fields and abundant reactive sites, which greatly improve the separation of charge carriers when illuminated by sunlight. In a concentrating solar reactor, the new hybrid catalyst achieved a CO₂-to-methane conversion rate of 30.31 μmol of CH₄ per gram, roughly five times higher output than the conventional crystalline catalyst under the same conditions. This fivefold boost in performance, reported in ACS Catalysis, highlights how structural “defects” and nanoscale silver features can enhance rather than hinder catalytic activity. By validating that engineered defects and metal nanostructures (like Ag₂S wires) create more active sites for CO₂ reaction, the research provides a blueprint for next-generation artificial photosynthesis systems. In short, silver is helping turn greenhouse gas into fuel more effectively, moving us closer to viable carbon-neutral energy cycles.

In summary

Each of these advances illustrates a broader trend: gold and silver are increasingly vital in high-tech applications, from healthcare to clean energy. In 2025, researchers worldwide leveraged the unique properties of these metals – gold’s chemical stability and electronic structure, silver’s unparalleled conductivity and antimicrobial traits – to unlock innovations that were once only theoretical. These six stories underscore how even in modern technology, precious metals can yield priceless breakthroughs.

Looking Ahead

These six technological marvels highlight how gold and silver are no longer just passive assets or industrial materials; they are now active participants in shaping a smarter, cleaner, and more resilient future. As industries from medicine to energy storage embrace these elements, their strategic value is set to rise—not just in function, but also in financial relevance. Investors and technologists alike would do well to monitor how these materials drive future product pipelines and influence market prices.

The Wessex Mint Academy will continue tracking these intersecting trends. Here’s to a 2026 filled with even more brilliance—both scientific and metallic.