- What is an electrical insulator?
- Applications of electrical insulators
- Examples of insulating materials
- Conductive materials
- Semiconductor materials
We explain what an electrical insulator is, its use in industry and various examples. Also, conductive and semiconductor materials.
What is an electrical insulator?
An electrical insulator is a material incapable of transmitting electricity, or what is the same, any material capable of preventing or reducing the flow of the electric current. Electrical insulators are essential in the industry and in the management of the current, since they are used to prevent short circuits and reduce the danger of the transmission, by making it impossible for the electric charges flow freely.
An electrical insulator is a material with little or no electric conductivity. This means that the electrical charges of their atoms (electrons) cannot move freely, so these materials exert a certain resistance to the passage of current through them. An insulator is the exact opposite of a conductive material.
However, there are no absolute or perfect insulators, capable of completely preventing current. Some are more efficient than others, but there is always a small margin for transmission, so if the voltage of the electrical current is increased enough, any insulating material will become conductive and allow electrical flow. To the limit of bliss endurance of insulators is known as the breakdown voltage.
Insulators should not be confused with semiconductors, materials that allow or prevent electrical transit depending on the physical conditions in which they are found.
Applications of electrical insulators
Insulating materials are useful in the electrical industry for:
- Cover the wiring. The conductive metal wires are wrapped in insulating material to prevent them from touching each other and disrupting the circuit, while protecting people from direct contact with electrical cables.
- Drive the cargo to its desired destination. Insulators prevent the dispersion of electrical charge throughout the traffic. For example, in electrical towers and supports.
- Prepare protection materials for users and operators of the electrical industry. These materials allow to isolate the bodies of the users of the possible contact with the current.
Examples of insulating materials
Some insulating materials are:
Conductive materials
Unlike insulators, conductive materials are those most conducive to the transmission of electrical charges, given the chemical properties of their atoms.
A conductor will generally allow the rapid spread of the electric power through its atoms, mobilizing its electrons and without changing its chemical nature. Examples of conductive materials are most of the metals or the Water.
Semiconductor materials
For their part, semiconductors are materials capable of conducting or resisting electricity, depending on the physical conditions in which they are found (generally the ambient temperature, the Pressure, the incident radiation and / or the nature of the electric field or magnetic to which they are subjected).
These materials can be very diverse and different from each other, but they act to different degrees as conductors and insulators at the same time. Examples of semiconductor materials are: silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), sulfur (S), cadmium (Cd) and some others elements of the periodic table.