Al2ZnS4

Al2ZnS4 is a thermodynamically stable, wide-band-gap insulating sulfide compound.

AlSZn
Crystal structure of Al2ZnS4 (cubic, Fd-3m (No. 227))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Al2ZnS4

Al2ZnS4 is a complex sulfide material that exists as a thermodynamically stable phase on the convex hull. Its electronic structure is characterized by a wide band gap, classifying it as an insulating material with significant potential for specialized optical or electronic applications.

Due to its structural complexity and stability, this compound has garnered considerable interest in computational materials databases. Its ability to maintain a stable configuration makes it a compelling subject for researchers investigating the properties of ternary and quaternary sulfide systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Al2ZnS4, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.20–3.10 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

48
3 databases, 11 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Al2ZnS4, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Fd-3m (No. 227)cubic2.490.0000-8.9783.28
I-4 (No. 82)tetragonal3.100.0008-8.9772.82
Pmn21 (No. 31)orthorhombic2.960.0134-8.9642.73
Pm (No. 6)monoclinic1.750.0600-8.9182.73
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic2.630.0919-8.8863.09
P3m1 (No. 156)trigonal0.450.1115-8.8662.92
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal0.410.1130-8.8652.92
R3m (No. 160)trigonal0.000.1136-8.8642.85
R-3m (No. 166)trigonal1.390.1155-8.8622.85
R3m (No. 160)trigonal0.200.1251-8.8532.91
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic1.540.1444-8.8332.72
P-3m1 (No. 164)trigonal0.000.1458-8.8322.68
Uses

Applications

Where Al2ZnS4 is used.

Semiconductor researchOptical materials developmentSolid-state chemistry studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Al2ZnS4, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Al2ZnS4?

Al2ZnS4 is a thermodynamically stable, wide-band-gap insulating sulfide compound.

More questions
What is Al2ZnS4 used for?
Al2ZnS4 is used in semiconductor research, optical materials development, and solid-state chemistry studies.
What is the band gap of Al2ZnS4?
Al2ZnS4 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.20–3.10 eV across 48 reported structures.
Is Al2ZnS4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 3.10 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is Al2ZnS4 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Al2ZnS4 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Al2ZnS4?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Al2ZnS4 is cubic symmetry, space group Fd-3m (No. 227).
What is the density of Al2ZnS4?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Al2ZnS4 is 3.28 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Al2ZnS4 are known?
48 structures of Al2ZnS4 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 11 distinct space groups.
What elements does Al2ZnS4 contain?
Al2ZnS4 contains Al, S, and Zn (3 elements).
Where does the data for Al2ZnS4 come from?
Al2ZnS4 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a distinct sulfide compound, Al2ZnS4 represents a specialized structural configuration within the broader landscape of aluminum-zinc-sulfur materials. Unlike more common binary sulfides, this compound offers a unique lattice arrangement that is thermodynamically robust, providing a stable platform for exploring the interplay between its constituent elements.

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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