Gd2S3

Gd2S3 is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting compound composed of gadolinium and sulfur.

GdS
Crystal structure of Gd2S3 (orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Gd2S3

Gadolinium sesquisulfide is a thermodynamically stable binary compound that sits firmly on the convex hull. As a semiconducting material, it exhibits electronic properties that make it a subject of interest for specialized semiconductor research and solid-state chemistry.

With numerous reported structures across major databases, this compound demonstrates significant structural flexibility. Its role as a stable sulfide makes it a foundational material for investigating the interplay between rare-earth elements and chalcogenide frameworks in electronic applications.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Gd2S3, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.46–2.56 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

19
5 databases, 7 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Gd2S3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

—
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Gd2S3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——0.640.0000-2.257—
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.530.0000-24.5146.13
——1.600.0040-2.253—
——0.860.0040-2.253—
I-42d (No. 122)tetragonal1.160.0225-24.4926.11
——2.560.0286-2.228—
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.460.1426-24.3726.12
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———6.13
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———6.13
R-3c (No. 167)trigonal———5.17
Immm (No. 71)orthorhombic———6.37
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———6.12
Uses

Applications

Where Gd2S3 is used.

Semiconductor researchSolid-state chemistryOptical materials development
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Gd2S3, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Gd2S3?

Gd2S3 is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting compound composed of gadolinium and sulfur.

More questions
What is Gd2S3 used for?
Gd2S3 is used in semiconductor research, solid-state chemistry, and optical materials development.
What is the band gap of Gd2S3?
Gd2S3 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.46–2.56 eV across 19 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Gd2S3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 2.56 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Gd2S3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Gd2S3 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of Gd2S3?
The reference structure of Gd2S3 is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pnma (No. 62).
What is the density of Gd2S3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Gd2S3 is 6.13 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Gd2S3 are known?
19 structures of Gd2S3 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 7 distinct space groups.
What elements does Gd2S3 contain?
Gd2S3 contains Gd and S (2 elements).
Where does the data for Gd2S3 come from?
Gd2S3 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, mpaloe, alexandria, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone representative of rare-earth sulfides, Gd2S3 serves as a critical benchmark for understanding the stability and electronic behavior of heavy lanthanide chalcogenides in the absence of direct structural analogs.

Data sources & attribution
  • 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)
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
  • alexandria — Data from Alexandria. Cite: Schmidt et al., npj Comput. Mater. 10, 200 (2024). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)

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