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Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth
Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth. Photo: KnowInsiders.com
Contents

The ability to conduct electricity is the ability to move electrically charged particles through a certain object or compound. When there is a force acting on the moving charged particles, it will create an electric current. Depending on the structure of the material, each metal will have a different ability to conduct electricity.

Check out Top 10 best conductive metals at a normal temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, ranked by Knowinsiders.com.

What Is Electrical Conductivity?

Electrical conductivity is a property of a material that determines its ability to transport an electric charge. They allow electrical currents to pass through easily, making some materials ideal for electrical wires and cables - these are known as conductive materials. Metals have high electrical conductivity, whereas water has low conductivity.

What are Conductive Materials?

Conductive materials are those that conduct electricity, allowing it to pass through them.

Insulators are materials that do not conduct electricity, also known as non-conductive materials.

READ MORE: What Is The Lightest Material On Earth?

What Does Electrical Conductivity Depend On?

The ability of a material to allow electrons to move within its shape determines electrical conductivity. Highly conductive materials, such as copper and silver, allow electrons to move freely within their molecular structure.

Water and glass, for example, have very few free electronics within their molecular structure due to their low conductivity. As a result, the electrons are tightly bound and require a great deal of energy to be released.

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals

1. Silver

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Ag

Electrical conductivity: Highest

Silver is a soft, malleable metal. It has the highest electrical conductivity. Due to its high cost, people rarely use silver for the electrical industry. Instead, silver is used to mint coins, make mirrors, and jewelry.

2. Copper

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Cu

Electrical Conductivity: 2nd

Copper is a soft and malleable metal. Copper is considered the most common material for making electrical conductors. Household items or handicrafts are also made from copper such as pans, casting statues, welding rods. Some copper compounds often exist in the form of blue and green colors, so they are used as medicine and dyeing materials at fabric factories.

Copper is a common conductor used in household appliances and electrical equipment in general. Most wires are copper-plated because it is inexpensive. Electromagnet cores are commonly found wrapped in copper wire. Because of its high conductivity and low resistance to joule heating, copper is also used in microelectronic conductors, electric circuits, and microprocessors. It is also found in mobile phones, televisions, and computers.

3. Gold

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Au

Conductivity: 3rd

Gold is good at thermal and electrical conductivity, difficult to oxidize and has high aesthetics.

Most of the world today do not pay much attention to the electrical conductivity of gold, but instead use it as a unit of exchange of monetary value and jewelry. It is necessary to remove gold jewelry from the body of those who work with electricity frequently to prevent the electric current from rapidly spreading throughout the body, threatening personal life.

READ MORE: Top 9 Countries That Are The Largest Gold-Producers In The World Today

4. Aluminum

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Al

Electrical Conductivity: 4th

Advantages: Flexible, difficult to oxidize, high melting point.

Uses: In some cases, aluminum is made as an electrical conductor. However, with its high heat-resistant properties, aluminum is widely used in architectural works such as construction partitions, roofing roofing, columns, pillars.

Long-distance power lines, high-voltage electrical transmission and distribution on the utility grid, and service drop, service entrance, and building wire feeders are all made of aluminum. Its high density and low cost make it an excellent choice for many large-scale electrical applications such as power cables, power connectors, and even circuit breaker electrical contacts. Satellite dishes are frequently made of aluminum.

5. Sodium

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Na

Electrical Conductivity: 5th

Advantages: Conduct electricity and heat in normal environments very well. Soft, can be cut with a knife.

Uses: Sodium is one of the important ingredients constituting table salt (NaCl), making steam lamps, scented soaps, and lubricants for metal surfaces.

6. Wolfram

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: W

Electrical Conductivity: 6th

Advantages: It is a hard, brittle metal, with strong resistance to acid, alkali and oxidation processes.

Uses: Pure Wolfram is used in the electric power industry to manufacture filaments in incandescent light bulbs. In addition, thanks to its inertness and relatively good electrical conductivity, Wolfram is used to make microscopes and electrodes.

Do you know…?

None-conductive materials include: Paper, rubber, glass, ceramic, plastic, air, diamond, pure water, porcelain, cotton and wood.

7. Brass

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: CuZn37

Electrical Conductivity: 7th

Advantages: An alloy of zinc and copper, has a sparkling golden color. Depending on the ratio of zinc and copper, each type of brass will have a different brightness.

Uses: With its cheap price and shiny gold-like sparkle, brass is often used to make low-value jewelry. In some cases, it is easy to confuse brass with pure gold. Brass is also used in many fields such as welding materials, gun warheads, decorative arts and musical instruments.

8. Iron

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Fe

Electrical Conductivity: 8th

Advantages: As one of the oldest common metals on Earth, it is allotropic, hard and solid.

Uses: Iron is the most used metal in human life. Almost every field and industry requires the application of iron such as making work tools: hoes, shovels, sticks, etc., making household appliances such as cabinets, tables, beds, stairs, ... In the automobile manufacturing industry or architectural constructions, there is no metal that can replace iron in creating rigidity and sturdiness for works or products.

9. Chromium

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Cr

Electrical Conductivity: 9th

Advantages: A metal with high scratch resistance, brittle, hard and difficult to melt

Uses: Although rarely present in real life, chromium is one of the indispensable catalysts of industries such as polishing surfaces, creating rust-free knives, scissors, coloring. It is brilliant for paints, dyes, molds for baked bricks, auxiliary substances for dietary drugs and an important additive of gasoline fuels.

10. Lead

Top 10 Best Electricity Conductive Metals On Earth

Chemical symbol: Pb

Electrical Conductivity: 10th

Advantages: Although it is a soft metal, it has an extremely heavy mass that is many times heavier than the feeling when we touch it. It is shaped and toxic to humans and animals.

Uses: In industry, lead is widely used as an important ingredient in the manufacture of batteries, a radioactive shield in the radiation industry and is often used in PVC. However, lead is a metal that contains a very large amount of toxins. Some cosmetic products that need long-lasting adhesion such as lipstick and chalk often use lead to increase the color's longevity. If abused, it will immediately cause symptoms of poisoning, affecting nerves and causing cancer when used for a long time.

Conclusion

Hope that information on metals’ electrical conductivity will help you gain more chemistry knowledge and apply those metals better in daily life and work. Feel free to share the article if you find it useful!

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