Rubidium telluride
Rubidium telluride is the inorganic compound with the formula Rb2Te. It is a yellow-green powder that melts at either 775 °C or 880 °C. It is an obscure material of minor academic interest.
Structure
The compound has several polymorphs. At room temperature, ω-Rb2Te is a metastable antiflourite type structure, and transforms to α-Rb2Te upon heating, which is a PbCl2 type structure.Preparation
Like other alkali metal chalcogenides, Rb2Te is prepared from the elements in liquid ammonia.Uses
The National Bureau of Standards VUV radiometric detector program used magnesium flouride windowed photodiodes with rubidium telluride photocathodes as radiometric transfer standards.Rubidium telluride cathodes have been used in solar-blind photomultiplier tubes for aviation applications such as remote optical atmospheric pressure and temperature sensors.