Meaning of the second 的 in this sentence

[vn.haint]

"自然界中的物质按照其导电能力的不同, ..."
What does the second 的 in this sentence mean? What noun phrase does it associate with? Does 不同 act as a noun (wtf?) or adjective in this sentence?
Google translates this fragment into "The nature of the different materials in accordance with their ability to conduct electricity", it doesn't feel right to me.
Here is the full sentence in a book I'm digging, it's about Electronics:
"自然界中的物质按照其导电能力的不同 ,除了可以分为我们较为熟悉的

导体和绝缘体之外 , 还有一类物质 ,它的导电能力介于导体和绝缘体之间 ,我

们把它叫做半导体 , 如硅 、 锗等 "

 

[Demonic_Duck]

“不同” acts as a noun, meaning "difference".

[vn.haint]

 

 

“不同” acts as a noun, meaning "difference".

so the second 的 in the sentence would mean "'s", doesn't it?

[Michael H]

I think the key phrase to focus on is

 

其导电能力的不同

 

Here 的 is like english "of" connecting two nouns, but in the opposite order. The first noun is 其导电能力, meaning "their electrical conductivity" (literally "their conduct electricity ability"), and the second noun is 不同, meaning "difference", as Demonic Duck said. The whole phrase then means "difference(s) in their electrical conductivity" or "difference(s) in their ability to conduct electricity".

[vn.haint]

Thank you, I didn't expect 不同 to act as a noun. It all makes sense now.