Cd3Te
Cd3Te is a metallic, metastable cadmium telluride compound that serves as an intriguing subject for structural studies in materials science.

About Cd3Te
Cd3Te is a metallic compound within the II-VI semiconductor family, characterized by its distinct electronic behavior compared to typical insulating or semiconducting members of the class. It represents a complex structural phase that has been extensively cataloged across multiple materials databases.
Due to its position above the thermodynamic hull, this compound is considered metastable, making it a subject of interest for researchers studying phase stability and non-stoichiometric chalcogenide systems. Its metallic nature distinguishes it from the more traditional optoelectronic materials in its group.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Cd3Te, 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.
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Cd3Te.
Applications
Where Cd3Te is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cd3Te, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Cd3Te?
Cd3Te is a metallic, metastable cadmium telluride compound that serves as an intriguing subject for structural studies in materials science.
What is Cd3Te used for?
What is the band gap of Cd3Te?
Is Cd3Te a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Cd3Te thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of Cd3Te are known?
How is Cd3Te synthesized?
What elements does Cd3Te contain?
Where does the data for Cd3Te come from?
How It Compares
Within the ii-vi semiconductors class.
Unlike the widely utilized semiconducting members of the II-VI class such as CdTe or CdS, which are prized for their specific optical properties, Cd3Te exhibits a metallic electronic character. While its siblings are stable, well-characterized semiconductors, Cd3Te exists as a more exotic, metastable phase that challenges the typical bonding trends seen in the cadmium-tellurium binary system.
Related Compounds
Other II-VI Semiconductors in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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