Sb
Antimony · Stibium
Antimony is a stable, metallic chemical element widely used in industrial alloys and flame-retardant materials.
About Antimony
Antimony is a naturally occurring metallic element that maintains a stable crystalline structure. As a thermodynamically stable phase, it serves as a foundational material in various chemical and metallurgical processes due to its distinct electronic properties. Its metallic character allows it to conduct electricity effectively, making it a subject of extensive structural research across multiple scientific databases. The material is widely recognized for its versatility in alloying and its role in flame retardant technologies. Its ability to form stable compounds under standard conditions makes it an indispensable component in modern material science and industrial manufacturing.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Antimony, aggregated across 6 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.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Sb. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for Sb, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.048 | — |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -25.706 | 6.43 |
| I4/mmm (No. 139) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.090 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.348 | — |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| I4/mmm (No. 139) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.320 | — |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.304 | — |
| Im-3m (No. 229) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.256 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.049 | — |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.304 | — |
Applications
Where Antimony is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Antimony, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Sb?
Antimony is a stable, metallic chemical element widely used in industrial alloys and flame-retardant materials.
What is Sb used for?
What is the band gap of Sb?
Is Sb a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Sb thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Sb?
What is the density of Sb?
How many polymorphs of Sb are known?
What elements does Sb contain?
Where does the data for Sb come from?
How It Compares
As a pure elemental metal, Antimony occupies a unique position in material science, serving as a critical reference point for the study of pnictogen-based compounds and alloys. Unlike complex multi-element systems, its structural simplicity and high thermodynamic stability allow it to act as a benchmark for understanding metallic bonding and phase behavior in elemental solids.
Data sources & attribution
- 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)
- 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)
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