By sending electrical current through a copper coil and a diode at various temperatures and measuring the change in resistance of these materials as the temperature decreases, students are introduced to some of the key differences between conductors and semi-conductors and their applications.  The conductivity of semiconductors increases as they are heated, while metals become more resistive as they are heated. This laboratory experiment was designed to help students understand band gap theory, specifically the difference between conductors and semiconductors.

Materials chemistry experiment to illustrate the differences in the electrical resistance of conductors and semiconductors

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.