There are five categories of energy stimuli that every material must respond to: mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical and optical. Beyond these five categories are many less important ones, and a more comprehensive list of material properties can be found here. An input of one or more of these energies will produce a change in the material’s composition or microstructure.
Electrical properties involve conductivity or resistivity (the inverse of conductivity). Conductivity here refers to the material’s ability to conduct and electrical current, which is based upon the atomic makeup of the material. If there are many free electrons, electrical current is easily transferrable between atoms, and the material will become electrically charged. Metals or any material that has metallic bonding at the atomic level will have a high response to electrical energy stimuli. The polar properties of electricity relate it closely with magnetic properties, and many materials which respond readily to electrical stimuli also have magnetic reactions.
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