MgTe2
Magnesium ditelluride is a stable semiconducting material formed from magnesium and tellurium.

About MgTe2
Magnesium ditelluride is a semiconducting binary compound composed of magnesium and tellurium. As a thermodynamically stable phase residing on the convex hull, it represents a robust structural arrangement within its chemical system.
Its electronic character makes it an interesting subject for research into semiconducting materials. With a significant number of reported structures across multiple databases, this compound serves as a well-documented reference point for understanding magnesium-telluride interactions.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for MgTe2, aggregated across 4 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 MgTe2, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pa-3 (No. 205) | cubic | 1.12 | 0.0000 | -3.488 | 5.21 |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.48 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 4.10 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 4.09 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 3.81 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 3.78 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 6.28 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.10 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.88 |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 5.82 |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.64 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 8.11 |
Applications
Where MgTe2 is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about MgTe2, answered from cross-validated data.
What is MgTe2?
Magnesium ditelluride is a stable semiconducting material formed from magnesium and tellurium.
What is MgTe2 used for?
What is the band gap of MgTe2?
Is MgTe2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is MgTe2 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of MgTe2?
What is the density of MgTe2?
How many polymorphs of MgTe2 are known?
What elements does MgTe2 contain?
Where does the data for MgTe2 come from?
How It Compares
As a stable binary telluride, this compound serves as a foundational reference for the magnesium-tellurium system. Its position on the convex hull highlights its structural reliability compared to metastable phases that may appear in this chemical space.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
- omat24 — Data from OMat24 (Meta FAIR). Cite: Barroso-Luque et al., arXiv 2410.12771 (2024).
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