Cu6S12Sn3Sr3
Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 is a semiconducting quaternary chalcogenide material being researched for its potential use in advanced photovoltaic solar energy conversion.

About Cu6S12Sn3Sr3
Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 is a complex quaternary chalcogenide semiconductor that belongs to the class of materials investigated for thin-film photovoltaic applications. Its composition, incorporating copper, sulfur, tin, and strontium, places it in a unique structural category of absorbers designed for efficient light harvesting.
This compound is noted for its near-hull thermodynamic stability, suggesting it is a viable candidate for experimental synthesis. As a semiconducting material, it is studied for its ability to facilitate charge carrier generation, making it a subject of interest for researchers optimizing sustainable energy conversion technologies.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Cu6S12Sn3Sr3, 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.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for Cu6S12Sn3Sr3, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P3221 (No. 154) | trigonal | 0.40 | 0.0076 | -4.831 | 4.23 |
| P3121 (No. 152) | trigonal | 0.40 | 0.0076 | -4.831 | 4.23 |
| — | — | — | — | — | 4.22 |
| P3221 (No. 154) | — | — | — | — | — |
| P3121 (No. 152) | — | — | — | — | — |
Applications
Where Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cu6S12Sn3Sr3, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Cu6S12Sn3Sr3?
Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 is a semiconducting quaternary chalcogenide material being researched for its potential use in advanced photovoltaic solar energy conversion.
What is Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 used for?
What is the band gap of Cu6S12Sn3Sr3?
Is Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Cu6S12Sn3Sr3?
What is the density of Cu6S12Sn3Sr3?
How many polymorphs of Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 are known?
What elements does Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 contain?
Where does the data for Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 come from?
How It Compares
Within the chalcogenide photovoltaic absorbers class.
Within the diverse family of chalcogenide photovoltaic absorbers, Cu6S12Sn3Sr3 occupies a distinct niche by incorporating strontium alongside the more commonly studied copper-tin-sulfide frameworks like Cu2SnS3. While many of its siblings are binary or simple ternary systems, this compound represents a more complex structural arrangement that offers a different approach to tuning optoelectronic properties compared to standard absorbers like Cu2SnSe3.
Related Compounds
Other Chalcogenide Photovoltaic Absorbers in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- omat24 — Data from OMat24 (Meta FAIR). Cite: Barroso-Luque et al., arXiv 2410.12771 (2024).
- aflow — Data from AFLOW. Cite: Curtarolo et al., Comp. Mater. Sci. 58, 218 (2012).
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