CaS

calcium sulfide · oldhamite

Calcium sulfide is a stable, semiconducting inorganic material known for its structural diversity and utility in phosphor technology.

CaS
Crystal structure of CaS (cubic, Fm-3m (No. 225))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About calcium sulfide

Calcium sulfide is a thermodynamically stable binary compound that exhibits semiconducting electronic behavior. Its structural versatility is highlighted by a vast array of reported configurations, marking it as a significant subject of study in solid-state chemistry and materials science.

Because of its inherent stability and electronic properties, this compound serves as a critical building block in various industrial and research contexts. It is frequently utilized in the development of phosphors and specialized materials where its unique electronic character can be leveraged for performance optimization.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for calcium sulfide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

1.40–3.78 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

171
5 databases, 27 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic2.380.0000-9.9722.58
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic2.350.0000-2.382—
——2.400.0002-2.314—
——2.490.0002-2.314—
——2.390.0003-2.313—
——2.670.0902-2.223—
——2.640.0903-2.223—
——2.970.1192-2.194—
——2.860.1193-2.194—
——2.590.1394-2.174—
——2.040.1412-2.172—
——2.440.1874-2.126—
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting CaS.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where calcium sulfide is used.

Luminescent phosphorsLuminous paintsMetallurgical processingSemiconductor research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about calcium sulfide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is CaS?

Calcium sulfide is a stable, semiconducting inorganic material known for its structural diversity and utility in phosphor technology.

More questions
What is CaS used for?
calcium sulfide (CaS) is used in luminescent phosphors, luminous paints, metallurgical processing, and semiconductor research.
What is the band gap of CaS?
calcium sulfide (CaS) has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.40–3.78 eV across 171 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is CaS a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a wide band gap of up to 3.78 eV (an insulator or wide-band-gap material).
Is CaS thermodynamically stable?
Yes — calcium sulfide (CaS) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of CaS?
The reference structure of calcium sulfide (CaS) is cubic symmetry, space group Fm-3m (No. 225).
What is the density of CaS?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of calcium sulfide (CaS) is 2.58 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CaS are known?
171 structures of CaS are reported across 5 databases, spanning 27 distinct space groups.
How is CaS synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for CaS include sol gel, solid state (7 procedures documented).
What elements does CaS contain?
calcium sulfide (CaS) contains Ca and S (2 elements).
Where does the data for CaS come from?
CaS data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, oqmd.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a thermodynamically stable binary sulfide, this compound represents a foundational material within its chemical class. It serves as a primary reference point for understanding the behavior of alkaline earth chalcogenides, providing a stable baseline for comparing the structural and electronic trends observed in more complex or less stable related compounds.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (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)
  • 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)

Analyze CaS in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 85 source databases.

Explore the Platform →
Results are informational and should be validated by qualified professionals. See Terms of Service