A solid is described by the following band structure occupie

A solid is described by the following band structure (occupied energy levels are shaded). What are the electrical properties of the solid? Justify your answer.

Solution

Electrical properties of solids are measured in terms of conductivity. Conductivity may be defined as the ease with which electric current can pass through a given substance. All solids do not conduct electricity in equal amounts. Some of them have high conductivity, whereas some of them do not conduct electricity at all. On the basis of conduction of electricity, solids can be broadly divided into three categories:

3. Insulators:These materials do not conduct electricity.The band gap between the valence band and conduction band is very large. Even if a large amount of energy is provided to these solids, they do not conduct electricity.Example: Wood,plastics etc.