Cu3Te
Cu3Te is a metallic copper-tellurium compound that exists as a metastable phase with multiple reported structural variations.

About Cu3Te
Cu3Te is a metallic binary compound composed of copper and tellurium. As a material that lacks a band gap, it exhibits characteristic metallic electronic behavior, making it an interesting subject for studies into the complex phase space of copper-chalcogenide systems. Its existence is marked by a significant number of reported structures across various databases, highlighting its structural diversity despite its metastable nature. Because it sits above the thermodynamic hull, Cu3Te is generally considered an unstable phase under standard conditions, often requiring specific synthesis pathways to stabilize its configuration. It serves as a valuable case study for researchers investigating the formation and transformation of non-equilibrium phases in metallic alloys.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Cu3Te, 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 Cu3Te.
Applications
Where Cu3Te is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cu3Te, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Cu3Te?
Cu3Te is a metallic copper-tellurium compound that exists as a metastable phase with multiple reported structural variations.
What is Cu3Te used for?
What is the band gap of Cu3Te?
Is Cu3Te a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Cu3Te thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of Cu3Te are known?
How is Cu3Te synthesized?
What elements does Cu3Te contain?
Where does the data for Cu3Te come from?
How It Compares
As a metastable binary phase, Cu3Te represents a distinct point within the broader landscape of copper-telluride systems, where the competition between different stoichiometric ratios dictates the stability and electronic properties of the resulting materials.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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