Energy & Green Tech

Tuning thermoelectric materials for efficient power generation

In times when energy is scarce and sustainable ways of energy production are being explored, thermoelectric materials are being considered for power generation to transform waste heat into electricity. However, to make this ...

Robotics

New material provides breakthrough in 'softbotics'

Carnegie Mellon University engineers have developed a soft material with metal-like conductivity and self-healing properties that is the first to maintain enough electrical adhesion to support digital electronics and motors. ...

Hardware

Scientists develop solid-state electrochemical thermal transistor

In modern electronics, a large amount of heat is produced as waste during usage—this is why devices such as laptops and mobile phones become warm during use, and require cooling solutions. In the last decade, the concept ...

Electronics & Semiconductors

Compliant and conductive carbon nanomaterial for on-skin electronics

A soft and flexible electronic "e-skin," so sensitive it can detect the minute temperature difference between an inhaled and an exhaled breath, could form the basis of a new form of on-skin biosensor. The ultrathin material ...

Engineering

Sensing pressure using paper

Several industrial, automotive and health care applications rely on accurate and precise measurement of pressure. Flexible and wearable pressure sensors are typically fabricated using petroleum-based polymers. The solid waste ...

page 1 from 5

Electrical conductivity

Electrical conductivity or specific conductance is a measure of a material's ability to conduct an electric current. When an electrical potential difference is placed across a conductor, its movable charges flow, giving rise to an electric current. The conductivity σ is defined as the ratio of the current density to the electric field strength :

It is also possible to have materials in which the conductivity is anisotropic, in which case σ is a 3×3 matrix (or more technically a rank-2 tensor) which is generally symmetric.

Conductivity is the reciprocal (inverse) of electrical resistivity, ρ, and has the SI units of siemens per metre (S·m-1):

Electrical conductivity is commonly represented by the Greek letter σ, but κ (esp. in electrical engineering science) or γ are also occasionally used.

An EC meter is normally used to measure conductivity in a solution.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA