Te
Tellurium · element 52
Tellurium is a rare, thermodynamically stable semiconducting element known for its structural complexity and essential role in modern electronics.
About Tellurium
Tellurium is a rare, brittle metalloid element that occupies a distinct position in the periodic table. As a thermodynamically stable substance, it maintains a robust structural integrity that has made it a subject of extensive investigation across multiple materials databases.
Its semiconducting nature allows it to play a vital role in specialized electronic and optoelectronic components. The element exhibits a rich variety of structural configurations, reflecting its complex bonding behavior and utility in high-performance technological applications.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Tellurium, 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 Te. 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 Te, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 0.46 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| P3121 (No. 152) | trigonal | 0.18 | 0.0000 | -25.417 | 5.88 |
| P3121 (No. 152) | trigonal | 0.17 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| P3221 (No. 154) | trigonal | 0.17 | 0.0000 | 0.000 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.028 | — |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.037 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.024 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.038 | — |
| Cmmm (No. 65) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.165 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.039 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.038 | — |
| Pmc21 (No. 26) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | 0.038 | — |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Te.
Applications
Where Tellurium is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Tellurium, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Te?
Tellurium is a rare, thermodynamically stable semiconducting element known for its structural complexity and essential role in modern electronics.
What is Te used for?
What is the band gap of Te?
Is Te a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is Te thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of Te?
What is the density of Te?
How many polymorphs of Te are known?
How is Te synthesized?
What elements does Te contain?
Where does the data for Te come from?
How It Compares
As a pure elemental semiconductor, Tellurium serves as a foundational building block for various chalcogenide alloys and complex electronic materials, acting as a critical component in the development of advanced phase-change memory and infrared detection technologies.
Data sources & attribution
- 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)
- 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)
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