Sb2Se3

Antimony selenide · Stibnite-type antimony selenide

Antimony selenide is a stable semiconducting material widely researched for its potential in solar energy harvesting and thermoelectric applications.

Crystal structure of Sb2Se3 (orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Antimony selenide

Antimony selenide is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting chalcogenide that has garnered significant attention due to its favorable optoelectronic properties. Its structural integrity and reliable performance make it a foundational material for research into energy conversion technologies.

As a member of the broader chalcogenide family, this compound is primarily utilized in thin-film solar cells and thermoelectric devices. Its ability to maintain stability while exhibiting semiconducting behavior allows it to serve as a versatile candidate for next-generation electronic components.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Antimony selenide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.49–0.76 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

38
5 databases, 9 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Sb2Se3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Sb2Se3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.760.0000-19.1545.51
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.490.0752-19.0794.31
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.490.0951-19.0594.34
No. 0unknown1.47
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic9.11
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic5.83
R3m (No. 160)Trigonal7.60
R3m (No. 160)Trigonal3.81
No. 0unknown1.48
Pnma (No. 62)Orthorhombic4.43
Pnma (No. 62)
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic5.61
Uses

Applications

Where Antimony selenide is used.

Thin-film solar cellsThermoelectric generatorsPhotodetectorsOptoelectronic devices
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Antimony selenide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Sb2Se3?

Antimony selenide is a stable semiconducting material widely researched for its potential in solar energy harvesting and thermoelectric applications.

More questions
What is Sb2Se3 used for?
Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) is used in thin-film solar cells, thermoelectric generators, photodetectors, and optoelectronic devices.
What is the band gap of Sb2Se3?
Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.49–0.76 eV across 38 reported structures.
Is Sb2Se3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.76 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Sb2Se3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Sb2Se3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pnma (No. 62).
What is the density of Sb2Se3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) is 5.51 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Sb2Se3 are known?
38 structures of Sb2Se3 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 9 distinct space groups.
What elements does Sb2Se3 contain?
Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) contains Sb and Se (2 elements).
Where does the data for Sb2Se3 come from?
Sb2Se3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, cod, mpaloe, jarvis, omat24.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the bismuth chalcogenide thermoelectrics class.

Within the class of bismuth and antimony chalcogenides, Sb2Se3 occupies a distinct niche compared to well-known thermoelectric standards like Bi2Te3 or Bi2Se3. While many of its siblings are heavily optimized for high-temperature power generation, Sb2Se3 is particularly valued for its potential in cost-effective, earth-abundant photovoltaic applications, offering a different balance of stability and performance than complex alloys like Ge2Sb2Te5.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Bismuth Chalcogenide Thermoelectrics in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
  • omat24 — Data from OMat24 (Meta FAIR). Cite: Barroso-Luque et al., arXiv 2410.12771 (2024).

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