Metalloid nanocrystals may enable lithium-ion batteries to be replaced by more powerful sodium ion batteries. Tellurium, which is a semiconductor in its standard state, is used mainly as a component in type II/VI semiconducting-chalcogenides; these have applications in electro-optics and electronics. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is used in solar modules for its high conversion efficiency, low manufacturing costs, and large band gap of 1.44 eV, letting it absorb a wide range of wavelengths. Bismuth telluride (BiTe), alloyed with selenium and antimony, is a component of thermoelectric devices used for refrigeration or portable power generation. Five metalloids—boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, and antimony—can be
Sulfosalt minerals Sulfosalt minerals Sulfosalt minerals are those complex sulfide minerals with the general formula: ABS; where A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron, and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium; B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and rarely germanium, or metals like tin and rarely vanadium; and S is sulfur or rarely selenium or/and tellurium. The Strunz classification includes the sulfosalts in a "sulfides and sulfosalts" superclass. A group which have a similar appearing formulas are the sulfarsenides (for example cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS). In sulfarsenides the arsenic substitutes for sulfur whereas in the sulfosalts the arsenic substitutes for