Liquid Metals and Liquid Semiconductors

Numerous liquid systems have electrical properties which resemble those of crystalline and amorphous semiconductors. The existence of “semiconducting” behavior in these liquids is mostly related to a continuous transition from a metallic to a “semiconducting” state when a thermodynamic variable such as temperature, density or concentration is changed. Changes in the nature of the chemical interaction and the associated changes in the structure of the liquid are of fundamental importance for the transition to a “semiconducting” state. This will be demonstrated for the ionic liquid CsAu, for covalent liquid selenium, and for expanded liquid metals.