Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Schottky Barrier Diode01:27

Schottky Barrier Diode

507
Schottky barrier diodes are specialized semiconductor devices characterized by their unique construction. This construction involves combining a metal layer with a moderately doped n-type semiconductor material. This combination leads to the formation of a Schottky barrier, a pivotal element that defines the diode's operational characteristics. The core functionality of Schottky barrier diodes is their capacity to allow current to flow in only one direction due to their distinctive...
507
Types of Semiconductors01:20

Types of Semiconductors

949
Intrinsic semiconductors are highly pure materials with no impurities. At absolute zero, these semiconductors behave as perfect insulators because all the valence electrons are bound, and the conduction band is empty, disallowing electrical conduction. The Fermi level is a concept used to describe the probability of occupancy of energy levels by electrons at thermal equilibrium. In intrinsic semiconductors, the Fermi level is positioned at the midpoint of the energy gap at absolute zero. When...
949
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:24

Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

526
The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
526
Fermi Level Dynamics01:12

Fermi Level Dynamics

357
The vacuum level denotes the energy threshold required for an electron to escape from a material surface. It is usually positioned above the conduction band of a semiconductor and acts as a benchmark for comparing electron energies within various materials.
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
357
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:27

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

345
Biasing metal-semiconductor junctions involves applying a voltage across the junction. Specifically, the metal is connected to a voltage source, while the semiconductor is grounded. This technique is essential for controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow in electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
345
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics01:27

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

1.4K
When an electric field passes from one homogeneous medium to another, crossing the boundary between the two mediums imparts a discontinuity in the electric field. This results in electrostatic boundary conditions that depend on the type of mediums the field propagates through.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's...
1.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Syngas Production at Si Hybrid Photoelectrodes Modified with Re(I) and Mn(I) Tricarbonyl Phenanthroline Complexes Containing Reactive Aryl Azide Groups.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026
Same author

Exfoliation of Cu-Containing Poly(triazine imide): From Three-Dimensional to Two-Dimensional Particle Morphology.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

pyHRMC: Hybrid Reverse Monte Carlo for Electron Total Scattering.

Journal of computational chemistry·2026
Same author

Potential-Controlled Deposition of Multilayer CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction Catalyst Films onto Silicon Photoelectrodes Demonstrates Thickness-Dependent Catalytic Rates.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2025
Same author

Photoelectrochemical Hydride Generation with Oxide-Coated Silicon.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025
Same author

Immobilizing a Lehn-Type Catalyst with Nitrocyclocondensation Chemistries: CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction on Silicon Hybrid Photoelectrodes.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2025
Same journal

Switching Site Selectivity in Alkoxyamine Hydration: From Lone-Pair Direction to Solvent Network Dominance.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

A Topotactic Leap: 2D Layers to 3D Large-Pore Zeolite.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution over Single-Atom Catalysts via Electrostatic Polarization in Contact-electro-catalysis.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Tumor Acidity-Activatable Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for Selective Oncolytic Therapy.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Alternating Magnetic Field Promotes Ammonia Cracking by Disrupting the Sabatier Limitation of Ruthenium Catalytic Species.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Bulk Ferromagnetic Icosahedral Quasicrystals without Rapid Quenching.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 20, 2025

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

9.8K

Sc2C, a 2D Semiconducting Electride.

Lauren M McRae1, Rebecca C Radomsky1, Jacob T Pawlik1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States.

Journal of the American Chemical Society
|June 8, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers synthesized Sc2C, the first 2D electride semiconductor. Higher cation electronegativity in electrides increases metal-anion orbital hybridization, opening a band gap and enabling semiconductor properties.

More Related Videos

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics
13:58

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

11.9K
A Standard and Reliable Method to Fabricate Two-Dimensional Nanoelectronics
07:12

A Standard and Reliable Method to Fabricate Two-Dimensional Nanoelectronics

Published on: August 28, 2018

9.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 20, 2025

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

9.8K
Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics
13:58

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

11.9K
A Standard and Reliable Method to Fabricate Two-Dimensional Nanoelectronics
07:12

A Standard and Reliable Method to Fabricate Two-Dimensional Nanoelectronics

Published on: August 28, 2018

9.8K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Solid-State Physics
  • Quantum Chemistry

Background:

  • Electrides are exotic materials characterized by electrons localized in interstitial lattice sites, not atomic orbitals.
  • Previous research indicates a correlation between electropositive metal cations and electride formation, but the influence of cation electronegativity remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of cation electronegativity on electride properties.
  • To experimentally synthesize and characterize novel trivalent metal carbides.
  • To explore the electronic structure and potential semiconductor behavior of these materials.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental synthesis of scandium carbide (Sc2C).
  • Characterization using techniques to determine material structure and electronic properties.
  • Computational modeling (e.g., density functional theory) of Sc2C and aluminum carbide (Al2C) to analyze electronic band structures and orbital hybridization.

Main Results:

  • Scandium carbide (Sc2C) was successfully synthesized and identified as a two-dimensional (2D) electride.
  • Sc2C features scandium, a more electronegative metal than previously observed in electrides.
  • Computational studies revealed that increased cation electronegativity enhances hybridization between metal and electride orbitals, leading to the opening of a band gap.

Conclusions:

  • Sc2C represents the first synthesized 2D electride semiconductor.
  • Cation electronegativity is identified as a critical factor governing the band structure and semiconductor properties of electrides.
  • A design principle is proposed: higher cation electronegativity promotes electride semiconductor behavior through increased orbital hybridization.