Cu16S12Si2
Cu16S12Si2 is a metastable semiconducting compound formed from copper, sulfur, and silicon.

About Cu16S12Si2
Cu16S12Si2 is a complex ternary compound composed of copper, sulfur, and silicon. As a semiconducting material, it exhibits electronic properties that are of significant interest for fundamental research into multi-element chalcogenide systems.
This material is characterized as metastable, indicating that its formation and persistence depend on specific synthetic conditions. Its existence across multiple reported structures highlights the structural diversity inherent in this specific elemental combination.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Cu16S12Si2, aggregated across 3 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cu16S12Si2, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Cu16S12Si2?
Cu16S12Si2 is a metastable semiconducting compound formed from copper, sulfur, and silicon.
What is the band gap of Cu16S12Si2?
Is Cu16S12Si2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Cu16S12Si2 thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of Cu16S12Si2 are known?
What elements does Cu16S12Si2 contain?
Where does the data for Cu16S12Si2 come from?
How It Compares
As a unique ternary system, Cu16S12Si2 occupies a distinct niche in materials science. Without direct structural siblings in this specific class, it serves as a primary reference point for understanding how copper-sulfur frameworks can be modified by the inclusion of silicon to tune electronic behavior.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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