Is Graphite Conductive?

Graphite is a carbon-based substance; typically, carbon is not conductive. However, despite being made of carbon, graphite can still conduct electricity. This is made possible because of the structure that makes the graphite. Graphite is not as good of a conductive as copper, but it is conductive nonetheless.

Is a Graphite a Conductor or Insulator

Graphite is solely made of carbon. In other words, the crystalline structure of carbon is known as graphite. Even though carbon itself is not a conductive substance, graphite is. When the carbon becomes graphite by making the crystalline structure, it also becomes a conductor.

It is one of the few non-metallic substances that can conduct electricity. So you will find graphite used in various cases. But the conductivity of graphite is relatively low compared to other metallic elements. 

For example, copper has a conductance of 5.96 x 10^7 S/m, whereas graphite has only 2.0 – 3.0 x10^5 S/m conductance. So it has relatively low conductance compared to metals, but if you need a non-metallic conductor, graphite will do just fine.

How Is Graphite a Conductor

The reason for graphite to act as a conductor lies within its structure. Graphite is a crystalline structure of carbon. It is this crystalline structure that makes graphite a conductor.

Carbon makes an SP² bond while creating graphite. Here, three orbitals with three different electrons are used. However, that still leaves the fourth free electron inside the carbon atom. This fourth electron moves freely throughout the structure of the graphite.

Thus, when connected to an electrical source, the source influences these free electrons and starts moving. As a result, it conducts electricity through electron movement.

Why Is Graphite Highly Conductive

Graphite is highly conductive because of its structure. Graphite is a three-electron crystalized bond between carbon atoms. We know that carbon has a total of four electrons that can take part in making a bond.

But when it comes to graphite, only three of them are used. The fourth one remains as a free electron. After the graphite structure is created, all the free electrons can move throughout the structure without any problem.

As a result, they are also affected by current or voltage sources. So when they are connected to a voltage source, the electrons start to move, making them highly conductive.

Why Is Graphite Not a Good Conductor

Graphite is a pretty good conductor as is. But when compared to other metallic conductors, this conductivity does not hold up. Graphite, being made of carbon, does not make it metallic. It acts as a pseudo metal, but it is still a nonmetallic substance as a core.

Non-Metalic substances are usually poor conductors of electricity. Most of them don’t even conduct any electricity. So, graphite, a nonmetallic conductor, conducts the electricity well enough. But compared to other metals like copper,  you can say it is not a good conductor.

Conclusion

So, graphite is a conductor of electricity, but the conductivity is not as much as any metallic conductors. So it works as a conductor to get the work done if you need a nonmetallic conductor. But if you can use a metallic conductor, it will be best to use metallic conductors to get the most conductivity.