Classification Of Solids

TL;DR

Solids are classified into conductors, insulators, and semiconductors based on their energy band diagrams. Conductors have overlapping energy bands, insulators have a wide energy gap, and semiconductors have a small energy gap.

Transcript

click the Bell icon to get latest videos from equator hello friends let's begin with another topic that is classification of solid now from the energy band diagram we come to know that on the basis of energy band diagram the solids are classified into 3 different types and they are conductor insulator and semi conductor now let's see what is conduc... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤕 Solids are classified into conductors, insulators, and semiconductors based on their energy band diagrams.
• 🤕 Conductors have overlapping conduction and valence bands, resulting in high conductivity.
• 😘 Insulators have a wide energy gap between the conduction and valence bands, leading to low conductivity.
• 🛩️ Semiconductors have a small energy gap and exhibit properties of both conductors and insulators.
• 📣 Conductivity, resistivity, energy gap, and temperature coefficient of resistance differ between conductors, insulators, and semiconductors.
• 😘 Conductors have high conductivity and low resistivity, while insulators have low conductivity and high resistivity.
• ❓ Semiconductors have moderate conductivity and resistivity.
• 🛩️ The energy gap is absent in conductors, wide in insulators, and small in semiconductors.

Questions & Answers

Q: How are conductors classified based on their energy band diagram?

Conductors have overlapping conduction and valence bands, indicating a large number of free electrons available for conduction. Even a small amount of current can flow through conductors.

Q: What is the distinguishing feature of insulators in their energy band diagram?

Insulators have a wide energy gap between the conduction and valence bands. This wide gap requires a significant amount of energy for electrons to move from the valence to the conduction band, resulting in low conductivity.

Q: How do the conductivity and resistivity of semiconductors change with increasing temperature?

At very low temperatures, semiconductors behave like insulators with high resistivity and low conductivity. As the temperature increases, some electrons gain enough energy to move to the conduction band, leading to increased conductivity and decreased resistivity.

Q: How do the parameters of conductivity, resistivity, energy gap, and temperature coefficient of resistance compare between conductors, insulators, and semiconductors?

Conductors have high conductivity, low resistivity, no energy gap, and a positive temperature coefficient of resistance. Insulators have low conductivity, high resistivity, a wide energy gap, and a negative temperature coefficient of resistance. Semiconductors have moderate conductivity, moderate resistivity, a small energy gap, and a negative temperature coefficient of resistance.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Conductors are materials where the conduction band and valence band overlap, allowing for a large number of free electrons and high conductivity.

• Insulators have a wide energy gap between the conduction and valence bands, requiring a large amount of energy for electrons to move, resulting in low conductivity.

• Semiconductors have a small energy gap, behaving as insulators at very low temperatures and as conductors when the temperature increases.