ZnSe
ZnSe has a DFT band gap of 1.17–1.97 eV across 83 reported structures in 23 space groups; its lowest-energy polymorph is cubic (F-43m (No. 216)). Cross-validated across 4 computational databases.
At a glance
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for ZnSe, aggregated across 4 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
1.17–1.97 eV
Range across DFT structures
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
83
4 databases, 23 space groups
Crystallography
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for ZnSe, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 1.17 | 0.0000 | -3.329 | 5.27 |
| P63mc (No. 186) | hexagonal | 1.20 | 0.0040 | -3.325 | 5.27 |
| P4/nmm (No. 129) | tetragonal | 1.97 | 0.1600 | -3.169 | 4.68 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 3.63 |
| P4/nmm (No. 129) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 5.45 |
| Pmma (No. 51) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 9.10 |
| Pmma (No. 51) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 6.50 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 5.04 |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 6.00 |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.34 |
| P63mc (No. 186) | Hexagonal | — | — | — | 5.26 |
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ZnSe, answered from cross-validated data.
What is the band gap of ZnSe?
ZnSe has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.17–1.97 eV across 83 reported structures.
More questions
Is ZnSe a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 1.97 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is ZnSe thermodynamically stable?
Yes — ZnSe sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of ZnSe?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of ZnSe is cubic symmetry, space group F-43m (No. 216).
What is the density of ZnSe?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of ZnSe is 5.27 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of ZnSe are known?
83 structures of ZnSe are reported across 4 databases, spanning 23 distinct space groups.
What elements does ZnSe contain?
ZnSe contains Se and Zn (2 elements).
Where does the data for ZnSe come from?
ZnSe data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
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Related Compounds
Other II-VI Semiconductors in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
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