irregular chunks with metal lustre
Lead telluride, PbTe, forms white cubic crystals, sp gr 8.16, and has a hardness of 3 on the Mohs’ scale. It is very slightly soluble in water, melts at 917 °C, and is prepared by melting lead and tellurium together. Lead telluride has semiconductive and photoconductive properties.
Lead telluride is used in pyrometry, in heat-sensing instruments such as bolometers and infrared spectroscopes, and in thermoelectric elements to convert heat directly to electricity. Lead telluride is also used in catalysts for oxygen reduction in fuel cells, as cathodes in primary batteries with lithium anodes, in electrical contacts for vacuum switches, in lead-ion selective electrodes, in tunable lasers, and in thermistors.
In semiconductor research, photoconductor cellsLead(II) telluride is used as an infrared detector material. It is also used in spacecraft power applications. Further, it is used in infrared detection, imaging and in solar cells. In addition, it acts as a semiconductor and photoconductor in the form of single crystals.
In photoconductor cells; in semiconductor research.
This product has been enhanced for energy efficiency.
Structure and conformation
The space lattice of PbTe belongs to the cubic system, and its rock salt structure has a lattice
constant of a=0.317 nm.
