Can insulators/ dielectrics be considered as non-ohmic conductors ? As they apparently breakdown when sufficiently large potential differences are applied across them.
[Physics] Are insulators non-ohmic conductors
conductorsdielectricelectric-currentinsulators
Best Answer
Ohm's Law is an idealization. No material follows it exactly, even for small applied voltages. But if your voltage is small enough, the deviation from Ohm's Law will be so small as to be unmeasurable ... but it's still there.
What we usually mean in Ohm's Law is that the behavior is linear for the purpose of whatever the application is. Once we have enough deviation that our application is affected, then we say it's non-ohmic.
So there's no answer to your question. It depends on the application and the sensitivity of your equipment, and your tolerance to non-linearity. For example, if you apply 1,000,000 volts to a small piece of plastic you will say that the material is non-ohmic. But if your equipment (and what you care about) is limited to 1 V, you'd probably say that it's ohmic.