Ag2HgS2

Ag2HgS2 is a metastable semiconducting compound composed of silver, mercury, and sulfur.

AgHgS
Crystal structure of Ag2HgS2 (monoclinic, P21/c (No. 14))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Ag2HgS2

Ag2HgS2 is a complex ternary sulfide characterized by its semiconducting electronic nature. As a metastable phase, it represents a unique structural arrangement of silver, mercury, and sulfur atoms that requires specific synthesis conditions to stabilize.

This material is of significant interest in solid-state chemistry due to its structural diversity, with multiple reported configurations across various databases. Its role as a metastable semiconductor makes it a subject of ongoing investigation for understanding phase transitions and structural stability in chalcogenide systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Ag2HgS2, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

0.42–0.55 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.005 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Near Hull
3 DFT sources

Structures

4
4 databases, 1 space group
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Ag2HgS2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.86 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.036 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Ag2HgS2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.470.0049-0.047—
——0.550.0300-0.165—
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.420.0405-3.1047.44
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic———7.85
Uses

Applications

Where Ag2HgS2 is used.

Solid-state chemistry researchSemiconductor materials studiesPhase transition analysis
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Ag2HgS2, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Ag2HgS2?

Ag2HgS2 is a metastable semiconducting compound composed of silver, mercury, and sulfur.

More questions
What is Ag2HgS2 used for?
Ag2HgS2 is used in solid-state chemistry research, semiconductor materials studies, and phase transition analysis.
What is the band gap of Ag2HgS2?
Ag2HgS2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.42–0.55 eV across 4 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Ag2HgS2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.55 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Ag2HgS2 thermodynamically stable?
Ag2HgS2 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.005 eV/atom (near hull).
What is the crystal structure of Ag2HgS2?
The reference structure of Ag2HgS2 is monoclinic symmetry, space group P21/c (No. 14).
How many polymorphs of Ag2HgS2 are known?
4 structures of Ag2HgS2 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 1 distinct space group.
What elements does Ag2HgS2 contain?
Ag2HgS2 contains Ag, Hg, and S (3 elements).
Where does the data for Ag2HgS2 come from?
Ag2HgS2 data is cross-referenced from jarvis, oqmd, materials_project, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique ternary sulfide, Ag2HgS2 occupies a specialized niche within the broader landscape of silver-mercury chalcogenides. Unlike more common binary sulfides, its metastable nature provides a distinct case study in how complex stoichiometry influences electronic behavior and structural polymorphism.

Data sources & attribution
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)

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