KSe

KSe is a stable, semiconducting binary compound formed from potassium and selenium.

KSe
Crystal structure of KSe
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About KSe

KSe is a binary compound composed of potassium and selenium that exhibits semiconducting electronic behavior. As a thermodynamically stable phase located on the convex hull, it represents a robust configuration of these elements under standard conditions. The compound is characterized by significant structural diversity, with numerous reported configurations across major materials databases. This extensive data availability makes it a compelling subject for researchers investigating the fundamental properties of alkali metal chalcogenides.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for KSe, aggregated across 6 databases.

Band Gap

0.61–3.54 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
4 DFT sources

Structures

165
6 databases, 30 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——0.910.0000-0.954—
P-62m (No. 189)hexagonal0.740.0000-1.044—
P-62m (No. 189)hexagonal0.720.0000-3.4822.81
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.610.0350-1.009—
——1.450.1202-0.834—
Cmce (No. 64)orthorhombic0.000.1598-3.3223.03
——0.000.1801-0.774—
——0.000.3053-0.649—
——0.000.3538-0.600—
——0.000.4342-0.520—
P-6m2 (No. 187)hexagonal0.000.4358-0.608—
——0.000.4404-0.513—
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is KSe?

KSe is a stable, semiconducting binary compound formed from potassium and selenium.

More questions
What is the band gap of KSe?
KSe has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.61–3.54 eV across 165 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is KSe a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a wide band gap of up to 3.54 eV (an insulator or wide-band-gap material).
Is KSe thermodynamically stable?
Yes — KSe sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
How many polymorphs of KSe are known?
165 structures of KSe are reported across 6 databases, spanning 30 distinct space groups.
What elements does KSe contain?
KSe contains K and Se (2 elements).
Where does the data for KSe come from?
KSe data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone entry in this context, KSe serves as a primary reference point for understanding the stability and electronic nature of potassium-selenium systems. Its position on the convex hull highlights its reliability as a stable material, providing a baseline for future explorations into similar binary chalcogenide frameworks.

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)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • 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.

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