Conflicting Terminologies
See also: Fermi levelIt is common in both solid-state physics and electrochemistry to discuss the chemical potential and electrochemical potential of an electron. However, in the two fields, the definitions of these two terms are sometimes swapped. In electrochemistry, the electrochemical potential of an electron (or any other species) is by definition constant across a device in equilibrium, while the chemical potential is equal to the electrochemical potential minus the local electric potential energy of the electron. In solid-state physics, the opposite definitions are occasionally (but not always) used, where the chemical potential of an electron is by definition constant across a device in equilibrium; while the electrochemical potential is equal to the chemical potential minus the local electric potential energy of an electron.
This article uses the electrochemistry definitions.
Read more about this topic: Electrochemical Potential
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