AgAuS2

AgAuS2 is a semiconducting ternary sulfide compound containing silver and gold that exhibits metastable thermodynamic characteristics.

AgAuS
Crystal structure of AgAuS2 (orthorhombic, Pccm (No. 49))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About AgAuS2

AgAuS2 is a ternary sulfide compound composed of silver, gold, and sulfur. As a semiconducting material, it represents a complex arrangement of transition metals within a chalcogenide framework, drawing interest for its unique electronic properties and potential for structural diversity.

Despite its existence in multiple reported structural configurations, the compound is characterized as being above the thermodynamic hull. This suggests that while it can be synthesized or modeled, it remains a metastable phase that requires specific conditions for formation compared to more stable binary or ternary alternatives.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for AgAuS2, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.08–0.13 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: small gap

Energy Above Hull

0.132 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Unstable
2 DFT sources

Structures

5
3 databases, 1 space group
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of AgAuS2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.99 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.003 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for AgAuS2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pccm (No. 49)orthorhombic0.080.13210.081—
Pccm (No. 49)orthorhombic0.130.1349-21.9595.94
Pccm (No. 49)orthorhombic———5.96
Pccm (No. 49)orthorhombic———5.83
Pccm (No. 49)orthorhombic———5.66
Uses

Applications

Where AgAuS2 is used.

Semiconductor researchSolid-state chemistry studiesMaterials science exploration
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about AgAuS2, answered from cross-validated data.

What is AgAuS2?

AgAuS2 is a semiconducting ternary sulfide compound containing silver and gold that exhibits metastable thermodynamic characteristics.

More questions
What is AgAuS2 used for?
AgAuS2 is used in semiconductor research, solid-state chemistry studies, and materials science exploration.
What is the band gap of AgAuS2?
AgAuS2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.08–0.13 eV across 5 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is AgAuS2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.13 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is AgAuS2 thermodynamically stable?
AgAuS2 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.132 eV/atom (unstable).
What is the crystal structure of AgAuS2?
The reference structure of AgAuS2 is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pccm (No. 49).
How many polymorphs of AgAuS2 are known?
5 structures of AgAuS2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 1 distinct space group.
What elements does AgAuS2 contain?
AgAuS2 contains Ag, Au, and S (3 elements).
Where does the data for AgAuS2 come from?
AgAuS2 data is cross-referenced from jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique ternary sulfide, AgAuS2 occupies a specialized niche in materials science. Without direct structural siblings in this specific class, it serves as an intriguing case study for how noble metals like silver and gold can be integrated into a stable sulfur-based lattice, highlighting the challenges of maintaining thermodynamic equilibrium in complex chalcogenide systems.

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)
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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