AgTe
AgTe is a stable semiconducting binary telluride used in the development of advanced phase-change memory technologies.
About AgTe
AgTe is a semiconducting binary compound recognized for its role within the family of phase-change memory materials. As a thermodynamically stable phase located on the convex hull, it exhibits structural robustness that is essential for reliable switching applications in electronic devices. Its ability to undergo phase transitions makes it a subject of significant interest for non-volatile memory technologies.
This material is characterized by a high degree of structural diversity, with numerous reported crystalline arrangements across major materials databases. This complexity underscores its versatility in thin-film applications where precise control over electronic properties is required for high-performance data storage and logic operations.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for AgTe, aggregated across 5 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.
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.
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.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of AgTe. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for AgTe, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 0.36 | 0.0000 | -0.049 | — |
| Pnma (No. 62) | orthorhombic | 0.24 | 0.0006 | -23.457 | 7.28 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0246 | -0.024 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0404 | -0.009 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0491 | 0.000 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0759 | 0.027 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.1006 | 0.052 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.1175 | 0.069 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.2094 | 0.160 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.2813 | 0.232 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.3621 | 0.313 | — |
| P-1 (No. 2) | triclinic | — | — | — | 7.36 |
Applications
Where AgTe is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about AgTe, answered from cross-validated data.
What is AgTe?
AgTe is a stable semiconducting binary telluride used in the development of advanced phase-change memory technologies.
What is AgTe used for?
What is the band gap of AgTe?
Is AgTe a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is AgTe thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of AgTe?
What is the density of AgTe?
How many polymorphs of AgTe are known?
What elements does AgTe contain?
Where does the data for AgTe come from?
How It Compares
Within the phase-change memory materials class.
Within the broader class of chalcogenide-based phase-change materials, AgTe serves as a distinct binary component that complements more complex systems like Ge2Sb2Te5. While materials such as GeTe are widely utilized for their rapid crystallization kinetics, AgTe offers a unique structural profile that provides researchers with a different set of thermodynamic parameters for tuning the performance of memory devices compared to other silver-bearing tellurides like Ag2Te or AgSbTe2.
Related Compounds
Other Phase-Change Memory Materials in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- 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)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
- omat24 — Data from Meta Open Materials 2024 (OMat24), Meta FAIR. Cite: Barroso-Luque et al., arXiv:2410.12771 (2024). (CC-BY-4.0)
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