SnTe
tin telluride · stannous telluride
Tin telluride is a stable, narrow-gap semimetallic compound widely researched for its thermoelectric and infrared sensing capabilities.
About tin telluride
Tin telluride is a binary chalcogenide that exhibits a distinct near-zero-gap electronic character. As a thermodynamically stable phase located on the convex hull, it serves as a robust material for fundamental research into narrow-gap semiconductors and topological crystalline insulators. Its structural reliability is underscored by extensive documentation across multiple materials databases. The material is primarily utilized in the development of high-performance thermoelectric generators and infrared sensing technologies. Its unique electronic band structure allows for efficient energy conversion, making it a critical subject of study for next-generation solid-state cooling and power harvesting applications.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for tin telluride, aggregated across 5 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 SnTe. 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 SnTe, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.48 | 0.0000 | -0.326 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.04 | 0.0000 | -25.347 | 6.32 |
| — | — | 0.34 | 0.0002 | -0.332 | — |
| — | — | 0.48 | 0.0011 | -0.331 | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.18 | 0.0108 | -0.315 | — |
| — | — | 0.20 | 0.0333 | -0.299 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0412 | -0.291 | — |
| — | — | 0.79 | 0.0530 | -0.279 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.1368 | -0.195 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.2121 | -0.120 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.2276 | -25.119 | 6.87 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.2411 | -0.091 | — |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting SnTe.
Applications
Where tin telluride is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about tin telluride, answered from cross-validated data.
What is SnTe?
Tin telluride is a stable, narrow-gap semimetallic compound widely researched for its thermoelectric and infrared sensing capabilities.
What is SnTe used for?
What is the band gap of SnTe?
Is SnTe a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is SnTe thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of SnTe?
How many polymorphs of SnTe are known?
How is SnTe synthesized?
What elements does SnTe contain?
Where does the data for SnTe come from?
How It Compares
As a prominent member of the IV-VI semiconductor family, tin telluride is recognized for its stable crystalline structure and its role as a foundational material for exploring topological phases in condensed matter physics.
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)
- 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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