Question

We recently purchased some permalloy nano powders (Ni80Fe70Mo3) I checked the electrical conductivity of these powders using a multimeter which can measure resistance to the order of giga ohm's. I was able to see electrical conductivity in carbonyl iron powders. While we were not expecting to see high electrically conductivity we expected to see some conductivity. I am wondering if I am missing something here or are these powders the issue.

Answer 1

Permalloy nano powders (Ni80Fe70Mo3) are made up of non-metals and therefore have low electrical conductivity compared to metal powders like carbonyl iron. Non-metals generally have fewer free electrons available to carry electrical charge.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason you are not seeing electrical conductivity in the permalloy nano powders (Ni80Fe70Mo3) is because these powders are made up of non-metals.

In general, non-metals do not conduct electricity as well as metals. Metals have a high number of free electrons that can move freely and carry electrical charge, whereas non-metals do not have as many free electrons.

Carbonyl iron powders, on the other hand, are made up of iron, which is a metal, so they have a higher electrical conductivity. It is not uncommon for non-metal powders to have low electrical conductivity.