Silver Telluride
Silver telluride is a chemical compound with the molecular formula Ag2Te, consisting of silver (Ag) and tellurium (Te) atoms in a 2:1 ratio. It is a grey-black solid with a cubic crystal structure.
In terms of its properties, silver telluride is a semiconductor with a narrow bandgap of around 0.3-0.4 eV, making it useful for photovoltaic applications. However, it also has relatively poor mechanical properties and can be prone to cracking under stress.
Silver telluride can be synthesized by reacting solutions of silver nitrate and potassium telluride or by heating a mixture of silver and tellurium powders in a sealed ampoule under vacuum. It is insoluble in water but can react with acids to produce tellurium dioxide and elemental silver.
Overall, while silver telluride has potential applications in areas such as solar energy conversion, its limitations in terms of mechanical performance and toxicity due to the presence of silver make it less attractive than other materials such as cadmium telluride or perovskites.