The role of the anion electronegativity in semiconductor–electrolyte and semiconductor–metal junctions

Abstract
The anion electronegativity of binary and ternary semiconductors plays an important part as well in electrolytic junctions as in metallic junctions. The position of the top of the valence band EV of a wide range of these compounds increases always monotonically with increasing of the anion electronegativity whoever the chosen scale. A compilation of the different scales is accomplished. A simple method of EV position evaluation in an indifferent electrolyte gives good results for a characterization a priori of the flat band potential for AB compounds. From the comparison between theoretical and experimental flat band potential, the existence of specific interactions associated, for example, with thin surface layers (oxide or adsorbed ions) is revealed.