Bi4Te3
Bi4Te3 has a DFT band gap of 0.03–0.32 eV across 10 reported structures in 2 space groups; its reference structure is trigonal (R-3m (No. 166)). Cross-validated across 6 computational databases.
At a glance
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Bi4Te3, aggregated across 6 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.
0.03–0.32 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: metal
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.
Stable
4 DFT sources
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
10
6 databases, 2 space groups
Validation
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Bi4Te3. 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.
0.99 / 1.00
Trust tier: high
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
0.002 eV
EAH spread across sources
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
All match
Crystallography
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for Bi4Te3, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 0.32 | 0.0000 | -0.171 | — |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.03 | 0.0000 | -0.173 | — |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0016 | -44.517 | 8.06 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.03 | — | -3.827 | 8.12 |
| I4/mmm (No. 139) | tetragonal | — | — | -3.573 | 9.17 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | — | — | -3.827 | 8.17 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | — | — | — | 8.19 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | — | — | — | 8.45 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | — | — | — | 8.25 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | — | — | — | 8.07 |
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bi4Te3, answered from cross-validated data.
What is the band gap of Bi4Te3?
Bi4Te3 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.03–0.32 eV across 10 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
More questions
Is Bi4Te3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.32 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Bi4Te3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Bi4Te3 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of Bi4Te3?
The reference structure of Bi4Te3 is trigonal symmetry, space group R-3m (No. 166).
How many polymorphs of Bi4Te3 are known?
10 structures of Bi4Te3 are reported across 6 databases, spanning 2 distinct space groups.
What elements does Bi4Te3 contain?
Bi4Te3 contains Bi and Te (2 elements).
Where does the data for Bi4Te3 come from?
Bi4Te3 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, aflow, mpaloe, cod.
Explore
Related Compounds
Other Bismuth Chalcogenide Thermoelectrics 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)
- 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)
- aflow — Data from AFLOW (aflow.org). Cite: Curtarolo et al., Comp. Mater. Sci. 58, 218 (2012). (CC-BY-4.0)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
- 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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