Li3CuS2

Li3CuS2 is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting material composed of lithium, copper, and sulfur.

CuLiS
Crystal structure of Li3CuS2 (orthorhombic, Ibam (No. 72))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Li3CuS2

Li3CuS2 is a semiconducting compound composed of lithium, copper, and sulfur. As a thermodynamically stable material located on the convex hull, it represents a robust phase within its chemical system, making it a subject of interest for fundamental materials science studies.

Its electronic character suggests potential utility in specialized semiconductor applications. With numerous reported structures across multiple databases, this material is well-documented, providing researchers with a reliable foundation for investigating its physical and chemical behavior.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Li3CuS2, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

2.08–2.88 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

21
3 databases, 6 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Li3CuS2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.91 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.023 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 Li3CuS2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Ibam (No. 72)orthorhombic2.300.0000-4.2272.58
——2.080.0000-1.149—
Ia-3 (No. 206)cubic2.050.0184-4.2092.77
Ibam (No. 72)orthorhombic2.230.0229-1.162—
Pbcn (No. 60)orthorhombic1.980.0420-4.1852.89
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic2.240.0559-4.1722.43
R-3c (No. 167)trigonal2.750.0564-4.1712.51
P42/nmc (No. 137)tetragonal2.150.0655-1.120—
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal1.900.0686-4.1592.64
I4132 (No. 214)cubic2.460.0758-4.1522.54
R-3c (No. 167)trigonal2.880.0765-1.109—
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal2.110.0899-1.095—
Uses

Applications

Where Li3CuS2 is used.

Semiconductor researchSolid-state chemistryMaterials science exploration
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Li3CuS2, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Li3CuS2?

Li3CuS2 is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting material composed of lithium, copper, and sulfur.

More questions
What is Li3CuS2 used for?
Li3CuS2 is used in semiconductor research, solid-state chemistry, and materials science exploration.
What is the band gap of Li3CuS2?
Li3CuS2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.08–2.88 eV across 21 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Li3CuS2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 2.88 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Li3CuS2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Li3CuS2 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of Li3CuS2?
The reference structure of Li3CuS2 is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Ibam (No. 72).
What is the density of Li3CuS2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Li3CuS2 is 2.58 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Li3CuS2 are known?
21 structures of Li3CuS2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 6 distinct space groups.
What elements does Li3CuS2 contain?
Li3CuS2 contains Cu, Li, and S (3 elements).
Where does the data for Li3CuS2 come from?
Li3CuS2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a thermodynamically stable phase, Li3CuS2 serves as a foundational reference point for exploring the complex interplay between lithium-copper-sulfur arrangements, standing as a primary candidate for experimental validation within this chemical space.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • 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)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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