An electrical conductor is a substance in which electrical charge carriers,

usually electrons, move easily from atom to atom with the application
of voltage. Conductivity, in general, is the capacity to transmit something,
such as electricity or heat.
Pure elemental silver is the best electrical conductor encountered in
everyday life. Copper, steel, gold, aluminum, and brass are also good
conductors. In electrical and electronic systems, all conductors comprise
solid metals molded into wires or etched onto circuit boards.
Some liquids are good electrical conductors. Mercury is an excellent
example. A saturated salt-water solution acts as a fair conductor. Gases are
normally poor conductors because the atoms are too far apart to allow a free
exchange of electrons. However, if a sample of gas contains a significant
number of ions, it can act as a fair conductor.
A substance that does not conduct electricity is called an insulator
or dielectric material. Common examples include most gases, porcelain,
glass, plastic, and distilled water. A material that conducts fairly well, but not
very well, is known as a resistor. The most common example is a
combination of carbon and clay, mixed together in a specific ratio to produce
a constant and predictable opposition to electric current.
Substances called semiconductors act as good conductors under some
conditions and poor conductors under other conditions. Silicon, germanium,
and various metal oxides are examples of semiconductor materials. In a
semiconductor, both electrons and so-calledholes (electron absences) act as
charge carriers.
At extremely low temperatures, some metals will conduct electricity better
than any known substance at room temperature. This phenomenon is
called superconductivity, and a substance that behaves that way is called a
superconductor.