SiS

Silicon monosulfide is a metastable semiconducting material composed of silicon and sulfur atoms.

SSi
Crystal structure of SiS (orthorhombic, Pmna (No. 53))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About SiS

Silicon monosulfide is a metastable binary compound composed of silicon and sulfur. It exhibits semiconducting electronic character, positioning it as an intriguing subject for fundamental research into group 14-16 materials.

Due to its metastable nature, this compound is often studied for its structural complexity, with numerous reported configurations across various databases. Its role in materials science is primarily focused on understanding the bonding dynamics between silicon and chalcogen elements.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

0.29–0.66 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.122 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
3 DFT sources

Structures

109
3 databases, 19 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

0.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.483 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 SiS, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pmna (No. 53)orthorhombic0.480.0868-8.8790.63
Pmna (No. 53)orthorhombic0.660.1222-0.389—
——0.290.5699-0.076—
——0.290.5700-0.076—
——0.000.74640.101—
——0.000.93550.290—
——0.000.95660.311—
——0.000.95920.313—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———2.44
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———2.66
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———2.00
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———2.32
Uses

Applications

Where SiS is used.

Fundamental materials researchSemiconductor physics studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is SiS?

Silicon monosulfide is a metastable semiconducting material composed of silicon and sulfur atoms.

More questions
What is SiS used for?
SiS is used in fundamental materials research and semiconductor physics studies.
What is the band gap of SiS?
SiS has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.29–0.66 eV across 109 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is SiS a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.66 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is SiS thermodynamically stable?
SiS has a lowest energy above hull of 0.122 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of SiS?
The reference structure of SiS is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pmna (No. 53).
What is the density of SiS?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of SiS is 0.63 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of SiS are known?
109 structures of SiS are reported across 3 databases, spanning 19 distinct space groups.
What elements does SiS contain?
SiS contains S and Si (2 elements).
Where does the data for SiS come from?
SiS data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, oqmd, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a metastable semiconductor, SiS represents a distinct phase within the silicon-sulfur binary system. While many silicon-based chalcogenides are highly stable, this specific stoichiometry offers a unique look at the structural landscape of the system, serving as an important reference point for researchers investigating the limits of silicon-sulfur bonding.

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)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • 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)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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