Sn2S3

Sn2S3 is a stable semiconducting compound formed from tin and sulfur that is widely investigated for its potential in electronic and energy technologies.

SSn
Crystal structure of Sn2S3 (orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Sn2S3

Sn2S3 is a semiconducting binary sulfide composed of tin and sulfur. As a thermodynamically stable phase residing on the convex hull, it represents a robust material choice for research into electronic and optoelectronic device architectures. Its structural diversity is highlighted by numerous reported configurations across multiple databases, reflecting significant interest from the materials science community. This compound serves as a critical subject for understanding the complex phase behavior of tin-sulfur systems. Its inherent stability and semiconducting nature make it a compelling candidate for thin-film technologies and energy conversion applications where consistent material performance is required.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Sn2S3, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.64–0.73 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

17
3 databases, 9 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Sn2S3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.98 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.005 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 Sn2S3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.780.0000-15.1934.46
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.640.0000-0.494—
——0.730.0052-0.609—
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic———3.88
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———4.75
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———4.76
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———4.22
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.51
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———4.02
C2 (No. 5)monoclinic———4.63
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic———3.80
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———6.12
Uses

Applications

Where Sn2S3 is used.

Optoelectronic devicesThin-film solar cellsPhotodetectorsSemiconductor research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Sn2S3, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Sn2S3?

Sn2S3 is a stable semiconducting compound formed from tin and sulfur that is widely investigated for its potential in electronic and energy technologies.

More questions
What is Sn2S3 used for?
Sn2S3 is used in optoelectronic devices, thin-film solar cells, photodetectors, and semiconductor research.
What is the band gap of Sn2S3?
Sn2S3 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.64–0.73 eV across 17 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Sn2S3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.73 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Sn2S3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Sn2S3 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of Sn2S3?
The reference structure of Sn2S3 is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pnma (No. 62).
What is the density of Sn2S3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Sn2S3 is 4.46 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Sn2S3 are known?
17 structures of Sn2S3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 9 distinct space groups.
What elements does Sn2S3 contain?
Sn2S3 contains S and Sn (2 elements).
Where does the data for Sn2S3 come from?
Sn2S3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, oqmd, mpaloe, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a distinct binary sulfide, Sn2S3 occupies a unique position in the landscape of tin-based chalcogenides. Unlike more common binary phases that may exhibit limited stability, this compound is notable for its thermodynamic robustness, allowing it to maintain structural integrity under varied processing conditions.

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.
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)

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