Sb2Te3

Antimony telluride · Antimony(III) telluride

Antimony telluride is a stable semiconducting compound widely utilized in phase-change memory and thermoelectric technologies.

Crystal structure of Sb2Te3 (trigonal, R-3m (No. 166))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Antimony telluride

Antimony telluride is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting compound that serves as a foundational material in the study of phase-change memory technologies. Its well-defined structural characteristics and electronic behavior make it a critical subject for researchers investigating high-performance non-volatile memory architectures.

Beyond its role in memory storage, this material is highly valued for its thermoelectric properties. Its ability to maintain structural integrity while facilitating efficient charge transport allows it to function effectively in complex electronic systems where reliability and performance are paramount.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Antimony telluride, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.13 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
4 DFT sources

Structures

40
5 databases, 5 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Sb2Te3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
R-3m (No. 166)trigonal0.130.0000-3.9216.12
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.000.0403-3.8805.91
Immm (No. 71)orthorhombic0.000.1281-3.7936.46
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic0.000.1323-3.7886.50
P6/mmm (No. 191)hexagonal0.000.3843-3.5376.71
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.000.4807-3.4407.52
R-3m (No. 166)
P6/mmm (No. 191)
R-3m (No. 166)
R-3m (No. 166)
R-3m (No. 166)
R-3m (No. 166)
Uses

Applications

Where Antimony telluride is used.

Phase-change memory devicesThermoelectric generatorsOptical data storageTopological insulator research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Antimony telluride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Sb2Te3?

Antimony telluride is a stable semiconducting compound widely utilized in phase-change memory and thermoelectric technologies.

More questions
What is Sb2Te3 used for?
Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) is used in phase-change memory devices, thermoelectric generators, optical data storage, and topological insulator research.
What is the band gap of Sb2Te3?
Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.13 eV across 40 reported structures.
Is Sb2Te3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.13 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Sb2Te3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Sb2Te3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) is trigonal symmetry, space group R-3m (No. 166).
What is the density of Sb2Te3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) is 6.12 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Sb2Te3 are known?
40 structures of Sb2Te3 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 5 distinct space groups.
What elements does Sb2Te3 contain?
Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) contains Sb and Te (2 elements).
Where does the data for Sb2Te3 come from?
Sb2Te3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, aflow, jarvis, omat24, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the phase-change memory materials class.

Within the diverse family of phase-change materials, Sb2Te3 is distinguished by its high thermodynamic stability compared to more complex systems like Ge2Sb2Te5. While GeTe is often favored for its rapid switching kinetics, Sb2Te3 provides a more robust structural baseline, often serving as a critical component in alloyed thin films to optimize the balance between thermal stability and switching speed.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Phase-Change Memory Materials in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • aflow — Data from AFLOW. Cite: Curtarolo et al., Comp. Mater. Sci. 58, 218 (2012).
  • 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).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

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