Cadmium Sulfide - Structure and Physical Properties

Structure and Physical Properties

Cadmium sulfide has, like zinc sulfide, two crystal forms; the more stable hexagonal wurtzite structure (found in the mineral Greenockite) and the cubic zinc blende structure (found in the mineral Hawleyite). In both of these forms the cadmium and sulfur atoms are four coordinate. There is also a high pressure form with the NaCl rock salt structure.

Cadmium sulfide is a direct band gap semiconductor (gap 2.42 eV). The magnitude of its band gap means that it appears coloured.
As well as this obvious property others properties result:

  • the conductivity increases when irradiated with light(leading to uses as a photoresistor)
  • when combined with a p-type semiconductor it forms the core component of a photovoltaic (solar) cell and a CdS/Cu2S solar cell was one of the first efficient cells to be reported (1954)
  • when doped with for example Cu+ ("activator") and Al3+ ("coactivator") CdS luminesces under electron beam excitation (cathodoluminescence) and is used as phosphor
  • both polymorphs are piezoelectric and the hexagonal is also pyroelectric
  • electroluminescence
  • CdS crystal can act as a solid state laser

Read more about this topic:  Cadmium Sulfide

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