The performance of an object that has been dependent upon whether the object is composed of a conductive or a nonconductive material. Conductors are materials that allow electrons to flow freely from ...

Cambridge researchers have identified a material that behaves as both a conductor and an insulator. The material, samarium hexaboride (SmB6), acts like an insulator in certain measurements, but ...

University of Cambridge researchers have discovered that a material already known for its peculiar electrical properties appears to behave as both a conductor and an insulator at the same time. This ...

Combining a topological insulator with a superconductor could enable the design of advanced materials with broad potential application in semiconductor electronics and computing, including novel ...

Topological insulators are "strange" materials, insulators on the inside and conductors on the surface. They also have properties that make them excellent candidates for the development of spintronics ...

Every smartphone, computer, and modern electronic device depends on a material you rarely hear about—but it’s everywhere: the ...

Ohm’s law is well-known from physics class. It states that the resistance of a conductor and the voltage applied to it determine how much current will flow through the conductor. The electrons in the ...

Some materials that are inherently disordered display unusual conductivity, sometimes behaving like insulators and sometimes like conductors. Physicists have now analysed the conductivity in a special ...

We’re surrounded by electrically powered devices these days. From our lights, to our kettles, and of course our phones! Electricity flows through copper or aluminium wire to power or charge all of ...

Save guides, add subjects and pick up where you left off with your BBC account. We’re surrounded by electrically powered devices these days. From our lights, to our kettles, and of course our phones!