C3S4

C3S4 is a semiconducting carbon-sulfur compound that exhibits structural complexity and thermodynamic instability.

CS
Crystal structure of C3S4 (tetragonal, P-421c (No. 114))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About C3S4

C3S4 is a complex binary compound composed of carbon and sulfur. As a semiconducting material, it represents a unique intersection of organic-like bonding and inorganic structural motifs, drawing significant interest for its diverse potential configurations.

Despite its structural variety, the compound is characterized as being above the hull, suggesting it is thermodynamically unstable under standard conditions. Its existence across multiple reported structures highlights the intricate energy landscape inherent to carbon-sulfur systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for C3S4, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

1.45–1.54 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.262 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Unstable
2 DFT sources

Structures

15
4 databases, 8 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of C3S4. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

—
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for C3S4, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——1.540.26240.136—
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic1.450.2627-8.5911.83
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———4.61
C2 (No. 5)monoclinic———2.62
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic———2.70
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———4.71
C2 (No. 5)monoclinic———2.79
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———4.16
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic———4.74
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———3.11
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———3.28
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———2.81
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about C3S4, answered from cross-validated data.

What is C3S4?

C3S4 is a semiconducting carbon-sulfur compound that exhibits structural complexity and thermodynamic instability.

More questions
What is the band gap of C3S4?
C3S4 has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.45–1.54 eV across 15 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is C3S4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.54 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is C3S4 thermodynamically stable?
C3S4 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.262 eV/atom (unstable).
What is the crystal structure of C3S4?
The reference structure of C3S4 is tetragonal symmetry, space group P-421c (No. 114).
What is the density of C3S4?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of C3S4 is 2.01 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of C3S4 are known?
15 structures of C3S4 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 8 distinct space groups.
What elements does C3S4 contain?
C3S4 contains C and S (2 elements).
Where does the data for C3S4 come from?
C3S4 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, mpaloe, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a member of the carbon-sulfur material class, C3S4 occupies a niche position defined by its semiconducting nature and structural metastability. Unlike more stable, simple binary sulfides, this compound demonstrates a high degree of structural diversity, reflecting the complex bonding possibilities between carbon and sulfur atoms.

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.
  • 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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