Difference Between Conductor & Insulator

Key Differences Between Conductor and Insulator

1. The conductor is the type of material which allows the electric current or heat to pass through it whereas the insulator does not allow the electric current or heat to pass through it.
2. The electric field exists only on the surface of the conductor, and it remains zero inside the conductor whereas it does not exist on an insulator.
3. The conductor, when placed in a magnetic field do not store energy whereas the insulator stored energy in a magnetic field.
4. The thermal conductivity of the conductor is high, whereas the thermal conductivity of the insulator is low.
   • Thermal conductivity is the property of the material which allows the heat to pass through it without any obstruction.
5. The covalent bond between the atoms of a conductor is very weak whereas in an insulator it is very strong.
   • The covalent bond is the chemical bond between the atoms which involve the sharing of electrons.
6. In conductor, the electrons freely move from atom to atom whenever a potential difference is applied across it whereas, in an insulator, the electrons are fixed due to atomic level forces.
7. The conductivity of the conductor is high, whereas the conductivity of the insulators is low.
   • Conductivity is the rate at which the heat or charge flows through the material.
8. The resistance of the conductor is very less, and hence the electrons freely move from atom to atom. The resistance of the insulator is very high.
9. The conductor has a large number of free electrons whereas insulator does not have a large number of free electrons.
10. The potential on the conductor remains same at all the point whereas in insulators the potential remains zero.
11. The resistivity of the conductor varies from high to low whereas the resistivity of an insulator is very high.
    • Resistivity is the resisting power of the material.
12. The conductor has positive thermal coefficient of resistance whereas the insulator has the negative thermal coefficient of resistance..
    • The thermal coefficient of resistance describes the change in the physical property of the material with temperature. If the resistance increases with the temperature, then it is called the positive thermal coefficient of resistance. In negative thermal coefficient, the resistance decreases with the increase in temperature.
13. The conduction band of a conductor is full of electrons whereas the conduction band of an insulator is empty.
14. The valence band of a conductor is empty whereas the valence band of an insulator  is full of electrons.
15. There is no forbidden gap in conductor whereas the forbidden gap in an insulator is very large.
    • The forbidden gap is the gap between the valence band and the conduction band of material. It determines the conductivity of the material. If the gap is small, then the electron is easily moved from the valence band to the conduction band and hence the material is considered as a conductor. If the gap between them is large, then the material is express as an insulator.
16. Copper, silver, aluminium, mercury are the examples of the conductor. The wood, paper, ceramic etc., are the examples of an insulator.
17. The conductor is used for making electrical wires and cables.The insulator is used for separating the current carrying conductors and for supporting the electrical equipment.