SIMPLE METHOD FOR ESTIMATING ENERGY-LEVELS OF SOLIDS

A simple method based on the linear relationship between experimental metal work functions and Pauling electronegativities is used to obtain effective solid state Fermi energies for atoms, both metallic and nonmetallic. A simple arithmetic mean combination rule is used to give the intrinsic Fermi level of a solid, and this level is then combined with band gap data to give electron affinities. The method is applied to materials covering a wide range of band gaps and ionicity. The results agree well with literature values of electron affinities.