Copper Telluride (Cu₂Te) is a chemical compound composed of two elements, copper and tellurium. It is a semiconductor material with specific optoelectronic properties that can be used in solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Copper telluride is a direct bandgap semiconductor, which means that it is able to efficiently absorb light and convert it into electron-hole pairs, which is an ideal property for photovoltaic applications.

Copper telluride is a semiconductor material with a range of applications, especially in photovoltaics and thermopower. Here are some of the main uses of copper telluride:

1. Solar cells: Copper telluride is a direct bandgap semiconductor that is suitable for use in the absorber layer of solar cells. It can absorb most of the visible light in the solar spectrum, so it has been studied for the development of thin-film solar cells.

2. Thermoelectric materials: Although copper telluride is not as thermoelectric as some other thermoelectric materials, such as bismuth telluride (BiTe), it is still being studied for thermoelectric power generation and refrigeration applications. Thermoelectric materials can convert temperature differences into electrical energy or cool them by applying an electric current.

3. Photodetectors: The optoelectronic properties of copper telluride make it suitable for the manufacture of photodetectors, which can be used in fields such as optical communications, environmental monitoring, and scientific research.

4. Light-emitting diodes and laser diodes: As a semiconductor material, copper telluride can be used to make light-emitting devices, such as LEDs and laser diodes, which have applications in lighting, display technology, and communications.

5. Thermocouple material: Copper telluride can be combined with other materials to make a thermocouple, which is a sensor used to measure temperature.

6. Catalysts and catalyst carriers: In some chemical reactions, copper telluride can be used as a catalyst or catalyst carrier to facilitate the chemical reaction.

7. Materials Science Research: Due to the semiconducting properties of copper telluride, it is used as a model system for materials science research to study electron transport, surface science, and interfacial phenomena.