MgTe2

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

MgTe
Crystal structure of MgTe2 (cubic, Pa-3 (No. 205))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

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.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for MgTe2, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

1.12 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

41
4 databases, 9 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for MgTe2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pa-3 (No. 205)cubic1.120.0000-3.4885.21
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic4.48
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic4.10
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic4.09
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic3.81
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic3.78
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic6.28
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic4.10
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic4.88
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic5.82
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic4.64
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic8.11
Uses

Applications

Where MgTe2 is used.

Semiconductor researchMaterials science studiesSolid-state chemistry
Reference

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.

More questions
What is MgTe2 used for?
MgTe2 is used in semiconductor research, materials science studies, and solid-state chemistry.
What is the band gap of MgTe2?
MgTe2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.12 eV across 41 reported structures.
Is MgTe2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 1.12 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is MgTe2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — MgTe2 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of MgTe2?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of MgTe2 is cubic symmetry, space group Pa-3 (No. 205).
What is the density of MgTe2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of MgTe2 is 5.21 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of MgTe2 are known?
41 structures of MgTe2 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 9 distinct space groups.
What elements does MgTe2 contain?
MgTe2 contains Mg and Te (2 elements).
Where does the data for MgTe2 come from?
MgTe2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis, omat24.
Comparison

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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