conduction band

American  

[kuhn-duhk-shuhn band] / kənˈdʌk ʃən ˌbænd /

noun

1. Physics. an energy band in a solid material, in which electrons move freely enough to carry electric current. Compare valence band.

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conduction band British  

noun

1. See energy band

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conduction band Scientific  

1. The electron orbital or orbitals, generally the outermost orbitals, in atoms in a conductor or semiconductor, in which the electrons are free enough to move and thereby carry an electric current.

2. Compare valence band See also bandgap

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Example Sentences

Excitons form inside semiconductors when electrons absorb energy and jump from their resting state in the valence band to a higher energy state in the conduction band.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

In a solar cell, electrons are dislodged by photons and raised to a higher energy level from the valence band to the conduction band.

From Science Daily • Jan. 10, 2024

Likewise, all the antibonding orbitals are very close together and form a band, called the conduction band.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The size of the band gap, or the energy difference between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band, determines how easy it is to move electrons between the bands.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Injection of electrons from the dye into the conduction band of the oxide nanoparticles must proceed faster than exciton recombination within the dye.

From Nature • Aug. 15, 2012