Question

Why is stainless steel a poor conductor of heat?

Answer 1

The following points explain why stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat:

1. Metals have a higher conductivity because the structure of metals is crystal lattice in which the electrons in the outermost shell can be shared and easily move through the lattice.
2. When there are imperfections in the lattice the flow of electrons gets retarded.
3. Stainless steel is an iron alloy that consists of up to about 25% chromium (and sometimes there is a small amount of nickel or carbon also) is added for resistance against corrosion. The regular iron lattice is distorted by chromium and it will increase the moving electrons chances of inelastic collision.

Thus stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat and it will take more time to remove heat from a source by using stainless steel than the other metals like- copper.