Does ice conduct electricity?
Does ice conduct electricity?
Does not conduct
ice
A poorer conductor than liquid water, because the ions cannot move through the lattice.
How it compares
| Material | Conducts? | % of copper |
|---|---|---|
| silver | Conducts electricity | 105% |
| copper | Conducts electricity | 100% |
| gold | Conducts electricity | 70% |
| aluminum | Conducts electricity | 61% |
| aluminum 6061 | Conducts electricity | 43% |
| magnesium | Conducts electricity | 39% |
| aluminum 7075 | Conducts electricity | 33% |
| tungsten | Conducts electricity | 31% |
| brass | Conducts electricity | 28% |
| zinc | Conducts electricity | 27% |
| nickel | Conducts electricity | 24% |
| iron | Conducts electricity | 17% |
| platinum | Conducts electricity | 16% |
| tin | Conducts electricity | 15% |
| bronze | Conducts electricity | 15% |
| chromium | Conducts electricity | 13% |
| wrought iron | Conducts electricity | 12% |
| tin-lead solder (60/40) | Conducts electricity | 12% |
| lead-free solder (SAC305) | Conducts electricity | 11% |
| mild steel | Conducts electricity | 10% |
| pewter | Conducts electricity | 10% |
| high-carbon steel | Conducts electricity | 9% |
| lead | Conducts electricity | 8% |
| tool steel | Conducts electricity | 7% |
| tungsten carbide | Conducts electricity | 5% |
| gray cast iron | Conducts electricity | 4% |
| ductile iron | Conducts electricity | 4% |
| Monel 400 | Conducts electricity | 3.5% |
| titanium | Conducts electricity | 3% |
| stainless steel 304 | Conducts electricity | 2.5% |
| stainless steel 316 | Conducts electricity | 2.3% |
| mercury | Conducts electricity | 2% |
| Inconel 718 | Conducts electricity | 1.4% |
| Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy | Conducts electricity | 1% |
| unidirectional carbon fibre composite | Conducts electricity | 1% |
| graphite | Conducts electricity | 0.1% |
The ones that surprise people
- Diamond is an electrical insulator and simultaneously the best thermal conductor known — about five times better than copper at moving heat. Structure decides both, not composition.
- Graphite is the same element as diamond and conducts electricity well, because its layered structure leaves one electron per atom free to move.
- Carbon fibre conducts. People treat composites as plastic, and lightning strike protection on composite aircraft is a serious design problem because of it.
- Pure water is an insulator. Tap water conducts because of dissolved ions — the hazard is what is in the water, not the water.
- Air is an excellent insulator until roughly 3 kV per millimetre, at which point it ionises and conducts. That is what a spark is.
Common questions
- Does ice conduct electricity?
- Does not conduct. A poorer conductor than liquid water, because the ions cannot move through the lattice.
Related pages
- ice Density, melting point, strength
- Is ice magnetic? Barely — you would need a laboratory to detect it
- Does ice rust? Neither rusts nor meaningfully corrodes
- Does water conduct? Does not conduct
- Does concrete conduct? Does not conduct
- Does air conduct? Does not conduct
- Does pine conduct? Does not conduct
- Does diamond conduct? Does not conduct
- Does granite conduct? Does not conduct
- Does soda-lime glass conduct? Does not conduct
- Does ptfe conduct? Does not conduct
Sources
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SP 811) — NIST (Public domain (US Government))