Question

Hi :) what’s the difference between conduction in metals & non-metals ? I know it’s the free electron diffusion thingy but I really don’t understand it at all. anyone able to help? Thank you!

Answer 1

The difference between metal and non-metal in terms of condition is explained below.

Explanation:

• In metals, conduction occurs due to the aggregation of vibrations of molecules and free-electron distribution. While in non-metals, the mechanism for conduction is only atomic or molecular vibrations.
• Apart from free electrons, there are phonons in metals as well as non-metals. Non-metals hold a confined amount of thermal conductivity only due to Phonons and Lattice vibrations.
• Concerning atomic vibration in a solid thing (non-metals mainly), it is easier to know if one receives the fact that atoms are almost floating adjacent to one another depending on the covalent bonds between them.
• When a metal is heated the electrons quickly respond to the heat and transfer it to the nearby atom or solid touching it. As non-metals don't possess free electrons, the heat transfer happens due to phonons (the excited state of the lattice structure vibrating uniformly).
• In metals, this rarely plays a role as the electrons transfer most of the heat efficiently.