{ "spore": "profile", "id": "lead-selenide", "spore_version": "0.2", "family": "lead-chalcogenides", "name": "Lead selenide (PbSe)", "abbreviation": "PbSe", "role": "Narrow-gap semiconductor for infrared photodetectors, thermoelectric research and nanocrystal solar cells", "category": "semiconductors", "type": "gaas", "summary": "Lead selenide (PbSe) is a grey, cubic compound of lead and selenium with a density of 8.1 g/cm3 at 20 °C, printed in its supplier safety data sheet. It is a narrow-gap semiconductor with a band gap of 0.27 eV at room temperature, per a 2022 Nanomaterials paper, and Wikipedia says it detects infrared radiation from 1.5 to 5.2 μm. Its supplier safety data sheet classes it as fatal if swallowed or inhaled (H300+H330), so the material is used in research and in infrared detector manufacture under strict handling.\n", "best_for": "Research-grade mid-infrared photodetector films and thermal-imaging detectors that need a detection range of 1.5 to 5.2 μm (Wikipedia)", "weakest_at": "Toxicity: the supplier safety data sheet classes lead selenide as fatal if swallowed or inhaled (H300+H330) and as a reproductive toxin (H360)", "identity": { "formula": "PbSe", "cas": "12069-00-0", "crystal_system": "cubic, halite (rock-salt) structure, cF8 (Wikipedia)", "space_group": "Fm3m (No. 225)", "designations": [], "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "Infobox, Structure (Halite (cubic), cF8; Fm3m, No. 225) and Identifiers (CAS 12069-00-0)" }, "tags": { "environments": [], "stresses": [], "applications": [ "optics-and-cameras", "electronics-and-chips", "solar-arrays" ] }, "properties": [ { "benchmark": "density", "label": "Density (supplier safety data sheet)", "value": 8.1, "bound": "exact", "unit": "g/cm3", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "20 °C (68 °F)" }, "method": "Printed as Density at 20 °C (68 °F) in Section 9 of the Stanford Advanced Materials safety data sheet (revised 19/01/2023)", "status": "ground", "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 9, Density at 20 °C row", "source_detail": { "title": "Safety Data Sheet: Lead Selenide (Stanford Advanced Materials, CAS 12069-00-0)", "id": "revised 19/01/2023; accessed 25/08/2023", "url": "https://samaterials.com/tds/1697120005-849-lead-selenide-evaporation-materials-sds.pdf", "year": 2023, "kind": "datasheet", "license": "supplier document, linked not reproduced" } }, { "benchmark": "density", "label": "Density (product page)", "value": 8.1, "bound": "exact", "unit": "g/cm3", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "not stated on the page" }, "method": "Printed as 8.10g/cm3 in the product summary table and Specification section of the Stanford Advanced Materials product page", "status": "ground", "source": "samaterials-pbse", "where": "Product summary table; Specification section", "source_detail": { "title": "Lead selenide powder (PB6287) product page, Stanford Advanced Materials", "id": "Catalog No. PB6287; CAS 12069-00-0", "url": "https://www.samaterials.com/pb6287-lead-selenide-powder-pbse.html", "year": 2026, "kind": "datasheet", "license": "supplier page, cited not reproduced" } }, { "benchmark": "density", "label": "Density (ChemBK)", "value": 8.1, "bound": "exact", "unit": "g/mL", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "25 °C", "note": "printed as lit. (literature value)" }, "method": "Printed as 8.1 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.) in the Physico-chemical Properties section of ChemBK", "status": "ground", "source": "chembk-pbse", "where": "Physico-chemical Properties, Density row", "source_detail": { "title": "Lead selenide, ChemBK chemical database entry", "id": "CAS 12069-00-0; EINECS 235-109-4", "url": "https://www.chembk.com/en/chem/Lead%20selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "cited, not reproduced" } }, { "benchmark": "melting_point", "label": "Melting point (safety data sheet)", "value": 1065, "bound": "exact", "unit": "°C", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "basis": "printed as 1065 °C (1949 °F); no test method given" }, "method": "Printed in Section 9 of the safety data sheet as Melting point/Melting range", "status": "ground", "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 9, Melting point/Melting range row", "source_detail": { "title": "Safety Data Sheet: Lead Selenide (Stanford Advanced Materials, CAS 12069-00-0)", "id": "revised 19/01/2023; accessed 25/08/2023", "url": "https://samaterials.com/tds/1697120005-849-lead-selenide-evaporation-materials-sds.pdf", "year": 2023, "kind": "datasheet", "license": "supplier document, linked not reproduced" } }, { "benchmark": "melting_point", "label": "Melting point (Wikipedia)", "value": 1078, "bound": "exact", "unit": "°C", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "basis": "infobox value, printed as 1,078 °C (1,972 °F; 1,351 K)" }, "method": "Printed in the Wikipedia infobox, Properties section, as 1,078 °C", "status": "ground", "note": "Printed with a thousands comma. The infobox carries a verification marker, and it disagrees with the 1065 °C safety data sheet value.", "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "Infobox, Properties (Melting point)", "source_detail": { "title": "Lead(II) selenide, Wikipedia article (infobox, structure, uses, hazards)", "id": "Wikipedia, read 2026-11-01", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia)" } }, { "benchmark": "melting_point", "label": "Melting point (ChemBK)", "value": 1088, "bound": "exact", "unit": "°C", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "basis": "printed as 1088°C with no test condition" }, "method": "Printed in the Physico-chemical Properties section of ChemBK as Melting Point", "status": "ground", "note": "ChemBK prints the molecular formula as HPbSe, which is an error. The melting point is kept as printed and differs from the other two sources.", "source": "chembk-pbse", "where": "Physico-chemical Properties, Melting Point row", "source_detail": { "title": "Lead selenide, ChemBK chemical database entry", "id": "CAS 12069-00-0; EINECS 235-109-4", "url": "https://www.chembk.com/en/chem/Lead%20selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "cited, not reproduced" } }, { "benchmark": "molar_mass", "label": "Molar mass", "value": 286.16, "bound": "exact", "unit": "g/mol", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "basis": "as printed in the infobox" }, "method": "Printed in the Wikipedia infobox, Properties section, as 286.16 g/mol; follows from the formula", "status": "calculated", "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "Infobox, Properties (Molar mass)", "source_detail": { "title": "Lead(II) selenide, Wikipedia article (infobox, structure, uses, hazards)", "id": "Wikipedia, read 2026-11-01", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia)" } }, { "benchmark": "band_gap", "label": "Band gap at room temperature", "value": 0.27, "bound": "exact", "unit": "eV", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "room temperature, as printed" }, "method": "Printed in Section 1 (Introduction) as a narrow bandgap of 0.27 eV at room temperature", "status": "ground", "source": "pmc-pbse-photodetector", "where": "Section 1 (Introduction)", "source_detail": { "title": "Promoted Mid-Infrared Photodetection of PbSe Film by Iodine Sensitization Based on Chemical Bath Deposition", "id": "Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022, 12(9), 1391; PMC9105836", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105836/", "year": 2022, "kind": "paper", "license": "open access (PubMed Central)" } }, { "benchmark": "band_gap", "label": "Band gap with spin-orbit coupling (abstract)", "value": 0.16, "bound": "exact", "unit": "eV", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "basis": "considering spin-orbit coupling, as printed in the abstract" }, "method": "Printed in the abstract of a combined experimental and computational study on PbSe transport", "status": "ground", "note": "The abstract does not say whether this value is measured or computed.", "source": "arxiv-pbse-transport", "where": "Abstract", "source_detail": { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "id": "arXiv:2408.03786 (v2)", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024, "kind": "paper", "license": "arXiv (abstract cited)" } }, { "benchmark": "band_gap", "label": "Band gap without spin-orbit coupling (abstract)", "value": 0.27, "bound": "exact", "unit": "eV", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "basis": "without spin-orbit coupling, as printed in the abstract" }, "method": "Printed in the abstract of the same study as 0.27 eV without SOC", "status": "ground", "note": "The abstract does not say whether this value is measured or computed.", "source": "arxiv-pbse-transport", "where": "Abstract", "source_detail": { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "id": "arXiv:2408.03786 (v2)", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024, "kind": "paper", "license": "arXiv (abstract cited)" } }, { "benchmark": "lattice_constant", "label": "Lattice constant, cubic cell", "value": 6.12, "bound": "exact", "unit": "Angstroms", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "structure": "cubic halite (rock-salt), space group Fm3m, as printed" }, "method": "Printed in the Wikipedia infobox, Structure section, as 6.12 Angstroms", "status": "ground", "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "Infobox, Structure (Lattice constant)", "source_detail": { "title": "Lead(II) selenide, Wikipedia article (infobox, structure, uses, hazards)", "id": "Wikipedia, read 2026-11-01", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia)" } }, { "benchmark": "responsivity", "label": "Responsivity at 2250 nm (iodine-sensitized film)", "value": 0.237, "bound": "exact", "unit": "A/W", "scope": "cell", "conditions": { "wavelength": "2250 nm", "bias": "not printed for this sentence", "device": "iodine-sensitized PbSe film made by chemical bath deposition" }, "method": "Printed in Section 3.2 as responsive at 2250 nm with a responsivity of 0.237 A/W", "status": "ground", "source": "pmc-pbse-photodetector", "where": "Section 3.2", "source_detail": { "title": "Promoted Mid-Infrared Photodetection of PbSe Film by Iodine Sensitization Based on Chemical Bath Deposition", "id": "Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022, 12(9), 1391; PMC9105836", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105836/", "year": 2022, "kind": "paper", "license": "open access (PubMed Central)" } }, { "benchmark": "responsivity", "label": "Responsivity at 808 nm (iodine-sensitized film)", "value": 30.27, "bound": "exact", "unit": "A/W", "scope": "cell", "conditions": { "wavelength": "808 nm", "bias": "1 V", "incident_power_density": "233 µW/cm²" }, "method": "Printed in the Abstract as responsiveness of 30.27 A/W at 808 nm, at 1 V and 233 µW/cm²", "status": "ground", "source": "pmc-pbse-photodetector", "where": "Abstract", "source_detail": { "title": "Promoted Mid-Infrared Photodetection of PbSe Film by Iodine Sensitization Based on Chemical Bath Deposition", "id": "Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022, 12(9), 1391; PMC9105836", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105836/", "year": 2022, "kind": "paper", "license": "open access (PubMed Central)" } }, { "benchmark": "detection_range", "label": "Detection range of the iodine-sensitized photodetector", "value": 2250, "value_high": 5000, "bound": "range", "unit": "nm", "scope": "cell", "conditions": { "device": "PbSe film photodetector with iodine sensitization", "temperature": "not printed" }, "method": "Printed in the Introduction as a device that detects over 2250 nm to 5000 nm", "status": "ground", "source": "pmc-pbse-photodetector", "where": "Introduction", "source_detail": { "title": "Promoted Mid-Infrared Photodetection of PbSe Film by Iodine Sensitization Based on Chemical Bath Deposition", "id": "Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022, 12(9), 1391; PMC9105836", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105836/", "year": 2022, "kind": "paper", "license": "open access (PubMed Central)" } }, { "benchmark": "seebeck_coefficient", "label": "Seebeck coefficient at 300 K", "value": 198, "bound": "exact", "unit": "μV K−1", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "300 K", "doping": "not stated in the abstract" }, "method": "Printed in the abstract as ~ 198 μV K−1 at 300 K", "status": "ground", "note": "The abstract does not say whether this value is measured or computed.", "source": "arxiv-pbse-transport", "where": "Abstract", "source_detail": { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "id": "arXiv:2408.03786 (v2)", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024, "kind": "paper", "license": "arXiv (abstract cited)" } }, { "benchmark": "seebeck_coefficient", "label": "Seebeck coefficient at 500 K", "value": 266, "bound": "exact", "unit": "μV K−1", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "500 K", "doping": "not stated in the abstract" }, "method": "Printed in the abstract as 266 μV K−1 at 500 K", "status": "ground", "note": "The abstract does not say whether this value is measured or computed.", "source": "arxiv-pbse-transport", "where": "Abstract", "source_detail": { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "id": "arXiv:2408.03786 (v2)", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024, "kind": "paper", "license": "arXiv (abstract cited)" } }, { "benchmark": "thermal_conductivity", "label": "Thermal conductivity at 300 K", "value": 0.74, "bound": "exact", "unit": "W m−1 K−1", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "300 K", "doping": "not stated in the abstract" }, "method": "Printed in the abstract as 0.74 (1.07) W m−1 K−1 at 300 (500) K", "status": "ground", "note": "The abstract does not say whether this value is measured or computed.", "source": "arxiv-pbse-transport", "where": "Abstract", "source_detail": { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "id": "arXiv:2408.03786 (v2)", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024, "kind": "paper", "license": "arXiv (abstract cited)" } }, { "benchmark": "thermal_conductivity", "label": "Thermal conductivity at 500 K", "value": 1.07, "bound": "exact", "unit": "W m−1 K−1", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "temperature": "500 K", "doping": "not stated in the abstract" }, "method": "Printed in the abstract as 0.74 (1.07) W m−1 K−1 at 300 (500) K", "status": "ground", "note": "The abstract does not say whether this value is measured or computed.", "source": "arxiv-pbse-transport", "where": "Abstract", "source_detail": { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "id": "arXiv:2408.03786 (v2)", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024, "kind": "paper", "license": "arXiv (abstract cited)" } }, { "benchmark": "detection_range", "label": "Infrared detection range (Wikipedia)", "value": 1.5, "value_high": 5.2, "bound": "range", "unit": "μm", "scope": "material", "conditions": { "basis": "wavelengths as printed; detector type and temperature not stated" }, "method": "Printed in the Wikipedia Infrared detection section as it can detect IR radiation of wavelengths from 1.5 to 5.2 μm", "status": "ground", "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "Infrared detection section", "source_detail": { "title": "Lead(II) selenide, Wikipedia article (infobox, structure, uses, hazards)", "id": "Wikipedia, read 2026-11-01", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia)" } } ], "corrosion": [ { "environment": "Water", "headline": "Lead selenide is insoluble in water.", "effect": "ChemBK and the safety data sheet both describe it as insoluble in water. Neither gives a solubility figure.", "rating": "low", "conditions": { "temperature": "not stated" }, "source": "chembk-pbse", "where": "Physico-chemical Properties, Water Solubility row" }, { "environment": "Oxygen during heat treatment of PbSe films", "headline": "Heating PbSe in air or oxygen forms oxidised products, which the authors detected by Raman spectroscopy at 400 °C.", "effect": "After annealing at 400 °C, the Raman spectrum of the PbSe layer kept the PbSe bands near 100 cm−1, 125 cm−1 and 230 cm−1 and showed one more peak at 790 cm−1. The authors presume the 790 cm−1 peak comes from the PbSeO4 phase, not from PbSe.", "rating": "moderate", "conditions": { "temperature": "400 °C annealing", "method": "Raman spectroscopy, 532 nm excitation, as printed in the paper" }, "source": "pmc-pbse-oxidation", "where": "Section 3.3, Figure 6b" }, { "environment": "Air and humidity at room temperature", "headline": "No ageing or long-term air or humidity test for PbSe was found in the sources read.", "effect": "The 2022 iodine-sensitization study reports no ageing, long-term air-exposure or stability test. It describes PbSe as having excellent chemical stability, but it gives no test result for that claim.", "rating": "unknown", "conditions": { "basis": "no ageing data reported" }, "source": "pmc-pbse-photodetector", "where": "Introduction and Section 3.2" }, { "environment": "Acid, when heated", "headline": "Heating PbSe while it is exposed to acid releases highly toxic hydrogen selenide gas.", "effect": "ChemBK's flammability entry states that when heated and exposed to acid, lead selenide gives off highly toxic hydrogen selenide gas. The safety data sheet lists hydrogen selenide among its hazardous decomposition products.", "rating": "moderate", "conditions": { "basis": "heated and exposed to acid, as printed; acid strength not stated" }, "source": "chembk-pbse", "where": "Flammability Hazard Characteristics row" } ], "risks": { "hazards": [ { "text": "Supplier safety data sheet, classification under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 with signal word Danger: H300+H330 Fatal if swallowed or if inhaled; H360 May damage fertility or the unborn child; H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.", "ghs": [ "H300", "H330", "H360", "H373" ], "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 2, Classification and Label elements" }, { "text": "PubChem GHS aggregate for lead selenide (CID 61550): H301 (100%) Toxic if swallowed; H331 (90.7%) Toxic if inhaled; H360 (97.7%) May damage fertility or the unborn child; H373 (100%) May cause damage to organs; H400 (100%) and H410 (100%) Very toxic to aquatic life.", "ghs": [ "H301", "H302", "H331", "H332", "H360", "H373", "H400", "H410" ], "source": "pubchem-pbse", "where": "GHS Classification section, GHS Hazard Statements" }, { "text": "Wikipedia infobox, Hazards: H301, H302, H331, H332, H360, H373 and H410 with signal word Danger. Its hazard list differs from the safety data sheet, so both lists are kept.", "ghs": [ "H301", "H302", "H331", "H332", "H360", "H373", "H410" ], "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "Infobox, Hazards" } ], "failure_risks": [ { "mode": "Release of hydrogen selenide gas", "trigger": "Heating the solid while it is exposed to acid, or a fire involving the material", "consequence": "Highly toxic hydrogen selenide gas is released, and the safety data sheet lists toxic metal compounds among the decomposition products.", "severity": "high", "source": "chembk-pbse", "where": "Flammability Hazard Characteristics row; safety data sheet Section 10, Hazardous decomposition products" } ], "side_effects": [ { "text": "In a fire the material can release toxic metal compounds and hydrogen selenide, so fire crews need a self-contained respirator (safety data sheet Section 5).", "affects": "People near a fire or spill", "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 5, Special hazards and Advice for firefighters; Section 10" } ], "handling": [ { "text": "Keep the container tightly sealed and store it in a cool, dry place, as the safety data sheet requires.", "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 7, Handling and Storage" }, { "text": "Precautionary statement P260 says do not breathe dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray; P284 calls for respiratory protection when ventilation is inadequate.", "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 2, Precautionary statements" }, { "text": "Section 8 lists a PEL (USA) long-term value of 0.2 mg/m3 as Se for lead(II) selenide (CAS 12069-00-0).", "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 8, Exposure limits" } ], "mitigations": [ { "text": "For fire, use a special powder for metal fires and do not use water (safety data sheet Section 5).", "source": "sds-pbse", "where": "Section 5, Suitable extinguishing agents" } ] }, "uses": [ { "application": "optics-and-cameras", "device": "Mid-infrared photodetector film (research)", "example": "An iodine-sensitized PbSe film detects over 2250 nm to 5000 nm and gives a responsivity of 0.237 A/W at 2250 nm (2022 Nanomaterials study).", "source": "pmc-pbse-photodetector", "where": "Abstract; Introduction; Section 3.2" }, { "application": "optics-and-cameras", "device": "Infrared detectors for thermal imaging", "example": "Wikipedia says lead selenide is used to manufacture infrared detectors for thermal imaging, and that it can detect infrared radiation of wavelengths from 1.5 to 5.2 μm.", "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "Lead section (intro); Infrared detection section" }, { "application": "solar-arrays", "device": "Lead selenide nanocrystals in nanocrystal solar cells", "example": "Wikipedia names lead selenide nanocrystals, used as quantum dots, as an example in nanocrystal solar cells.", "source": "wiki-pbse", "where": "PbSe Quantum dots based photodetectors section" } ], "supply": [ { "subject": "Lead", "producers": [ { "country": "China", "share_percent": 42.2, "year": 2025 }, { "country": "Australia", "share_percent": 10.7, "year": 2025 }, { "country": "Peru", "share_percent": 6.4, "year": 2025 }, { "country": "Russia", "share_percent": 5.8, "year": 2025 }, { "country": "Mexico", "share_percent": 4.4, "year": 2025 } ], "critical_lists": [ { "list": "USGS 2025 Final List of Critical Minerals (lead added in 2025)", "listed": true } ], "recycling": "USGS: an estimated 1 million tons of secondary lead was produced in 2025, equivalent to 70% of apparent domestic consumption, nearly all recovered from old scrap, mostly lead-acid batteries.", "substitutes": [ "USGS names substitutes for lead in cable covering, cans, solder for potable water and wheel weights. It gives no substitute for lead in PbSe." ], "source": "usgs-lead", "where": "World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025e (shares calculated by Space Mushroom against the world total (rounded) of 4,500 thousand t; the China and Australia values are printed in the table as 1,900 and 480); Recycling; Substitutes; Events, Trends and Issues (critical list)" }, { "subject": "Selenium", "producers": [ { "country": "China", "share_percent": 53, "year": 2025 }, { "country": "Japan", "share_percent": 16.8, "year": 2025 }, { "country": "Russia", "share_percent": 8.4, "year": 2025 } ], "critical_lists": [], "recycling": "USGS: recycling of selenium is insignificant. Most scrap from electronic materials was exported for recovery of contained selenium.", "substitutes": [ "USGS: amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride are the principal competitors with CIGS in thin-film photovoltaic cells. No substitute is named for PbSe." ], "source": "usgs-selenium", "where": "Events, Trends and Issues (China 53% of estimated global production); World Refinery Production table, 2025 (Japan 640 and Russia 320 against a world total (rounded) of 3,800 metric tons; shares calculated by Space Mushroom); Recycling; Substitutes" } ], "media": [], "documents": [ { "title": "Lead Selenide: Safety Data Sheet (Stanford Advanced Materials, CAS 12069-00-0), revised 19/01/2023", "type": "sds", "url": "https://samaterials.com/tds/1697120005-849-lead-selenide-evaporation-materials-sds.pdf", "year": 2023 }, { "title": "Lead selenide powder, product PB6287: product summary and specifications (Stanford Advanced Materials)", "type": "datasheet", "url": "https://www.samaterials.com/pb6287-lead-selenide-powder-pbse.html" }, { "title": "PubChem: Lead selenide (CID 61550), GHS classification", "type": "database", "url": "https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug_view/data/compound/61550/JSON", "year": 2025 }, { "title": "Promoted Mid-Infrared Photodetection of PbSe Film by Iodine Sensitization Based on Chemical Bath Deposition (open access)", "type": "paper", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105836/", "year": 2022 }, { "title": "Thermodynamic Analysis and Experimental Study on the Oxidation of PbX (X = S, Se) Nanostructured Layers (open access)", "type": "paper", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9412640/", "year": 2022 }, { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "type": "paper", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024 }, { "title": "USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Lead", "type": "report", "url": "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-lead.pdf", "year": 2026 }, { "title": "USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Selenium", "type": "report", "url": "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-selenium.pdf", "year": 2026 } ], "gaps": [ "No refractive index, transmission range, dielectric constant or hardness value for PbSe was found in the sources read.", "The melting point differs by source: 1065 °C (safety data sheet), 1078 °C (Wikipedia) and 1088 °C (ChemBK). All three are kept with their sources and none is preferred.", "No UNS, EN, DIN, JIS or trade-name designation for lead selenide was printed in any source read. The supplier catalogue number PB6287 is not a designation and is not listed.", "No figure of merit (zT) for PbSe was printed in the abstract read, so no thermoelectric zT is recorded.", "Detectivity (D*) is not printed in the 2022 photodetector paper, and the operating temperature of that device is not printed either.", "No space, vacuum, radiation, atomic-oxygen, thermal-cycling or flight result for PbSe was found in any source read.", "No quantitative solubility value was found; ChemBK and the safety data sheet say only insoluble in water.", "The hazard statements disagree between the safety data sheet (H300+H330, H360, H373), PubChem (H301, H302, H331, H332, H360, H373, H400, H410) and Wikipedia (H301, H302, H331, H332, H360, H373, H410). All three lists are kept.", "The arXiv abstract gives Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity values but does not say whether they are measured or computed, and it does not state the doping level.", "Lead's status on the EU critical raw materials list and selenium's status on the USGS critical minerals list were not checked in this run.", "No long-term air or humidity ageing data for PbSe was found.", "Wikipedia gives PbSe a thermoelectric role and a 1.5 to 5.2 μm detection range, but gives no device or test condition for either.", "Property names not in spores/property-canon.yaml and used as snake_case here: band_gap, molar_mass, lattice_constant, responsivity, detection_range, seebeck_coefficient. Canonical names were used for density, melting_point and thermal_conductivity." ], "story": { "why": "Lead selenide (PbSe) is a narrow-gap semiconductor compound. It has a band gap of 0.27 eV at room temperature per a 2022 Nanomaterials paper, which places its response in the mid-infrared. Wikipedia says it is used to manufacture infrared detectors for thermal imaging and detects infrared radiation of wavelengths from 1.5 to 5.2 μm. Its main trade-off is toxicity: the supplier safety data sheet classes it as fatal if swallowed or inhaled. Its melting point is printed differently in three sources, 1065 °C, 1078 °C and 1088 °C, and all three are kept.", "uses": [ { "where": "Mid-infrared photodetectors", "line": "A 2022 study of iodine-sensitized PbSe films reports a responsivity of 0.237 A/W at 2250 nm. The same device detects over 2250 nm to 5000 nm, and the paper does not print the test temperature." }, { "where": "Infrared detectors for thermal imaging", "line": "Wikipedia says lead selenide is used to manufacture infrared detectors for thermal imaging and opened the market for uncooled MWIR imaging cameras." }, { "where": "Nanocrystal solar cells", "line": "Wikipedia names lead selenide nanocrystals, used as quantum dots, as an example in nanocrystal solar cells. It gives no efficiency figure." } ], "can_do": [ { "label": "Detect mid-infrared radiation", "line": "an iodine-sensitized film responds at 2250 nm with a responsivity of 0.237 A/W, per the 2022 Nanomaterials paper.", "scope": "material" }, { "label": "Act as a thermoelectric material", "line": "Wikipedia calls lead selenide a thermoelectric material, and the abstract read here gives a Seebeck coefficient of ~ 198 μV K−1 and a thermal conductivity of 0.74 W m−1 K−1, both at 300 K.", "scope": "material" }, { "label": "Band gap", "line": "Respond to mid-infrared light because of its narrow band gap of 0.27 eV at room temperature, per the 2022 Nanomaterials paper.", "scope": "material" } ], "compare": "The three melting points printed for lead selenide (1065 °C in the safety data sheet, 1078 °C in Wikipedia and 1088 °C in ChemBK) differ by more than the rounding in any one source, so the most reliable figure is not settled by these sources. The density is printed as 8.1 g/cm3 by the safety data sheet and as 8.10 g/cm3 by the supplier's product page. Both agree on the same value to the precision printed.", "compare_rows": [ { "label": "Density", "benchmark": "density", "scope": "material" }, { "label": "Melting point", "benchmark": "melting_point", "scope": "material" }, { "label": "Thermal conductivity", "benchmark": "thermal_conductivity", "scope": "material" } ], "handling": [ "The safety data sheet classes the powder as fatal if swallowed or inhaled, so use it only with local exhaust and respiratory protection where ventilation is inadequate.", "Keep the container tightly sealed in a cool, dry place.", "Do not let it contact acid when hot, because it releases hydrogen selenide." ], "good_for": [ "Mid-infrared photodetector research. A 2022 study measured a responsivity of 0.237 A/W at 2250 nm for an iodine-sensitized film.", "Thermal-imaging detector manufacture. Wikipedia says lead selenide is used for these detectors and can detect 1.5 to 5.2 μm." ], "watch_out": [ "Toxicity. The safety data sheet classes it as fatal if swallowed or inhaled, with H300+H330.", "Conflicting melting points. The sources give 1065 °C, 1078 °C and 1088 °C.", "No ageing or humidity data. No long-term air or humidity ageing test was found." ], "verdict": "Lead selenide is a useful narrow-gap infrared material, but the toxicity is significant, and the sources read here give no ageing, space or flight data.", "recipe": { "line": "Lead selenide is PbSe: one lead atom bonded to one selenium atom, forming a cubic halite (rock-salt) lattice. The sources read here do not describe a synthesis route, so no process is given.", "parts": [ { "name": "Lead", "symbol": "Pb", "role": "The metal cation of the rock-salt lattice. Its heavy atomic mass dominates the compound's 8.1 g/cm3 density.", "atoms": 1, "atomic_weight": 207.2 }, { "name": "Selenium", "symbol": "Se", "role": "The anion of the lattice. Selenium is a chalcogen, the same group as sulphur and tellurium.", "atoms": 1, "atomic_weight": 78.971 } ] }, "risk_groups": [ { "title": "For people", "lead": "The supplier safety data sheet classes lead selenide as Acute Tox. 2 with H300+H330, Fatal if swallowed or if inhaled, and adds H360 and H373.", "points": [ { "label": "The powder", "line": "The safety data sheet prints H300+H330 Fatal if swallowed or if inhaled, H360 May damage fertility or the unborn child, and H373. PubChem's aggregate record lists H301 at 100% and H331 at 90.7% of reports." }, { "label": "Dust and fume", "line": "The safety data sheet says not to breathe dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray (P260), and calls for respiratory protection when ventilation is inadequate (P284)." }, { "label": "In a fire", "line": "Toxic metal compounds and hydrogen selenide can be released. The safety data sheet calls for a self-contained respirator and a special powder for metal fires, and says do not use water." } ], "level": 0, "verdict": "Classed as fatal if swallowed or inhaled" }, { "title": "If heated with acid", "lead": "The hazard here is a gas, not a cell failure. These statements come from the chemical database and the safety data sheet, not from field incidents.", "points": [ { "label": "Hydrogen selenide", "line": "ChemBK states that when heated and exposed to acid, lead selenide gives off highly toxic hydrogen selenide gas." }, { "label": "Hazard disagreement", "line": "The safety data sheet and Wikipedia list different hazard codes, and PubChem lists more of them. All three lists are kept in the record." } ] }, { "title": "Handling and storage", "points": [ { "label": "Storage", "line": "Keep the container tightly sealed and store it in a cool, dry place, as the safety data sheet requires." }, { "label": "Exposure", "line": "The safety data sheet lists a PEL (USA) long-term value of 0.2 mg/m3 as Se for lead(II) selenide." } ] } ] }, "updated": "2026-11-01", "review": { "status": "draft", "method": "assistant", "checked_values": 18, "unreachable": 1, "caveats": 2, "note": "Read by an AI assistant on 2026-11-01. PubChem HTML page blocked by a browser check, so the PubChem JSON record was read instead. The arXiv PDF URL returned 404, so the arXiv abstract page was read instead. The ACAL detector page was not opened." }, "sources": { "samaterials-pbse": { "title": "Lead selenide powder (PB6287) product page, Stanford Advanced Materials", "id": "Catalog No. PB6287; CAS 12069-00-0", "url": "https://www.samaterials.com/pb6287-lead-selenide-powder-pbse.html", "year": 2026, "kind": "datasheet", "license": "supplier page, cited not reproduced" }, "chembk-pbse": { "title": "Lead selenide, ChemBK chemical database entry", "id": "CAS 12069-00-0; EINECS 235-109-4", "url": "https://www.chembk.com/en/chem/Lead%20selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "cited, not reproduced" }, "wiki-pbse": { "title": "Lead(II) selenide, Wikipedia article (infobox, structure, uses, hazards)", "id": "Wikipedia, read 2026-11-01", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_selenide", "year": 2026, "kind": "web", "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikipedia)" }, "pubchem-pbse": { "title": "PubChem compound record, Lead selenide (CID 61550), GHS Classification and Molecular Formula sections", "id": "CID 61550; CAS 12069-00-0", "url": "https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/rest/pug_view/data/compound/61550/JSON", "year": 2025, "kind": "database", "license": "public domain (NCBI)" }, "sds-pbse": { "title": "Safety Data Sheet: Lead Selenide (Stanford Advanced Materials, CAS 12069-00-0)", "id": "revised 19/01/2023; accessed 25/08/2023", "url": "https://samaterials.com/tds/1697120005-849-lead-selenide-evaporation-materials-sds.pdf", "year": 2023, "kind": "datasheet", "license": "supplier document, linked not reproduced" }, "pmc-pbse-photodetector": { "title": "Promoted Mid-Infrared Photodetection of PbSe Film by Iodine Sensitization Based on Chemical Bath Deposition", "id": "Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022, 12(9), 1391; PMC9105836", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9105836/", "year": 2022, "kind": "paper", "license": "open access (PubMed Central)" }, "pmc-pbse-oxidation": { "title": "Thermodynamic Analysis and Experimental Study on the Oxidation of PbX (X = S, Se) Nanostructured Layers", "id": "Micromachines, 2022 Jul 29; PMC9412640", "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9412640/", "year": 2022, "kind": "paper", "license": "open access (PubMed Central)" }, "arxiv-pbse-transport": { "title": "Understanding the transport behaviour of PbSe: A combined experimental and computational study (arXiv abstract)", "id": "arXiv:2408.03786 (v2)", "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.03786", "year": 2024, "kind": "paper", "license": "arXiv (abstract cited)" }, "nist-pb": { "title": "NIST Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions for All Elements: lead (Pb, atomic number 82)", "id": "NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory, Standard Atomic Weight", "url": "https://physics.nist.gov/cgi-bin/Compositions/stand_alone.pl?ele=Pb&all=all", "year": 2026, "kind": "database", "license": "public domain (NIST)" }, "nist-se": { "title": "NIST Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions for All Elements: selenium (Se, atomic number 34)", "id": "NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory, Standard Atomic Weight", "url": "https://physics.nist.gov/cgi-bin/Compositions/stand_alone.pl?ele=Se&all=all", "year": 2026, "kind": "database", "license": "public domain (NIST)" }, "usgs-lead": { "title": "Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Lead", "id": "USGS MCS 2026, February 2026", "url": "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-lead.pdf", "year": 2026, "kind": "report", "license": "public domain (USGS)" }, "usgs-selenium": { "title": "Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Selenium", "id": "USGS MCS 2026, February 2026", "url": "https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-selenium.pdf", "year": 2026, "kind": "report", "license": "public domain (USGS)" } }, "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "url": "https://spacemushroom.com/profiles/lead-selenide/" }