The electron work function Φ is a measure of the minimum energy required to extract an electron from the surface of a solid. It is defined more precisely as the energy difference between the state in which an electron has been removed to a distance from the surface of a single crystal face that is large enough that the image force is negligible but small compared to the distance to any other face (typically about 10-4 cm) and the state in which the electron is in the bulk solid. In general, Φ differs for each face of a monocrystalline sample.
Because Φ is dependent on the cleanliness of the surface, measurements reported in the literature often cover a considerable range (Refs. 1-4). This table contains selected values for the electron work function of the elements which may be regarded as typical values for a reasonably clean surface. The table contains recommended values from a recent review that includes estimated uncertainties (see Ref. 1 for more details). Those values, marked R in the table, come from analysis of results from different measurement methods. The method of measurement is indicated for each value. The following abbreviations appear.
Column definitions for the table are as follows.
Column heading | Definition |
Mol. form. | Element symbol |
Plane | Crystallographic plane; phase is indicated within square brackets, when applicable |
Φ | Electron work function, in eV |
Uncert. | Uncertainty, in eV, when available; values in parentheses are approximate |
Method | Measurement method or source; see list above |
Mol. form. | Plane | Φ/eV | Uncert./eV | Method |
Continued on next page... | ||||
Ag | 100 | 4.36 | 0.05 | R |
110 | 4.10 | 0.15 | R | |
111 | 4.53 | 0.07 | R | |
Al | 100 | 4.31 | 0.18 | R |
110 | 4.23 | 0.13 | R | |
111 | 4.32 | 0.06 | R | |
As | polycr | (3.75) | PE | |
Au | 100 | 5.22 | 0.31 | R |
110 | 5.16 | 0.22 | R | |
111 | 5.33 | 0.06 | R | |
B | polycr | (4.45) | TH | |
Ba | polycr | 2.52 | TH | |
Be | polycr | 4.98 | PE | |
Bi | polycr | 4.34 | PE | |
C | polycr | 5.00 | CPD | |
Ca | polycr | 2.87 | PE | |
Cd | polycr | 4.08 | CPD | |
Ce | polycr | 2.90 | PE | |
Co | polycr | 5.00 | PE |