Showing papers on "Antimony published in 2023"
TL;DR: In this article , a yolk-shell Sb@Void@graphdiyne (GDY) nanobox was designed and synthesized for high-rate and long cycle life SIBs.
Abstract: Antimony (Sb) has been pursued as a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, it suffers from severe volume expansion during the sodiation-desodiation process. Encapsulating Sb into a carbon matrix can effectively buffer the volume change of Sb. However, the sluggish Na+ diffusion kinetics in traditional carbon shells is still a bottleneck for achieving high-rate performance in Sb/C composite materials. Here we design and synthesize a yolk-shell Sb@Void@graphdiyne (GDY) nanobox (Sb@Void@GDY NB) anode for high-rate and long cycle life SIBs. The intrinsic in-plane cavities in GDY shells offer three-dimensional Na+ transporting channels, enabling fast Na+ diffusion through the GDY shells. Electrochemical kinetics analyses show that the Sb@Void@GDY NBs exhibit faster Na+ transport kinetics than traditional Sb@C NBs. In situ transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that the hollow structure and the void space between Sb and GDY successfully accommodate the volume change of Sb during cycling, and the plastic GDY shell maintains the structural integrity of NBs. Benefiting from the above structural merits, the Sb@Void@GDY NBs exhibit excellent rate capability and extraordinary cycling stability.
10 citations
TL;DR: In this article , a robust two-dimensional antimony/antimony-zinc alloy heterostructured interface was designed to regulate Zn plating. But, the design of Zn-free anodes to inhibit Zn dendrite formation and modulate high capacity Zn batteries is highly applauded yet very challenging.
Abstract: Abstract The development of Zn-free anodes to inhibit Zn dendrite formation and modulate high-capacity Zn batteries is highly applauded yet very challenging. Here, we design a robust two-dimensional antimony/antimony-zinc alloy heterostructured interface to regulate Zn plating. Benefiting from the stronger adsorption and homogeneous electric field distribution of the Sb/Sb 2 Zn 3 -heterostructured interface in Zn plating, the Zn anode enables an ultrahigh areal capacity of 200 mAh cm −2 with an overpotential of 112 mV and a Coulombic efficiency of 98.5%. An anode-free Zn-Br 2 battery using the Sb/Sb 2 Zn 3 -heterostructured interface@Cu anode shows an attractive energy density of 274 Wh kg −1 with a practical pouch cell energy density of 62 Wh kg −1 . The scaled-up Zn-Br 2 battery in a capacity of 500 mAh exhibits over 400 stable cycles. Further, the Zn-Br 2 battery module in an energy of 9 Wh (6 V, 1.5 Ah) is integrated with a photovoltaic panel to demonstrate the practical renewable energy storage capabilities. Our superior anode-free Zn batteries enabled by the heterostructured interface enlighten an arena towards large-scale energy storage applications.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , an antimony-copper single-atom alloy catalyst (Sb1Cu) of isolated Sb-Cu interfaces was reported to catalyzes the efficient conversion of CO2-to-CO with a Faradaic efficiency over 95%.
Abstract: Renewable electricity-powered CO evolution from CO2 emissions is a promising first step in the sustainable production of commodity chemicals, but performing electrochemical CO2 reduction economically at scale is challenging since only noble metals, for example, gold and silver, have shown high performance for CO2-to-CO. Cu is a potential catalyst to achieve CO2 reduction to CO at the industrial scale, but the C-C coupling process on Cu significantly depletes CO* intermediates, thus limiting the CO evolution rate and producing many hydrocarbon and oxygenate mixtures. Herein, we tune the CO selectivity of Cu by alloying a second metal Sb into Cu, and report an antimony-copper single-atom alloy catalyst (Sb1Cu) of isolated Sb-Cu interfaces that catalyzes the efficient conversion of CO2-to-CO with a Faradaic efficiency over 95%. The partial current density reaches 452 mA cm-2 with approximately 91% CO Faradaic efficiency, and negligible C2+ products are observed. In situ spectroscopic measurements and theoretical simulations reason that the atomic Sb-Cu interface in Cu promotes CO2 adsorption/activation and weakens the binding strength of CO*, which ends up with enhanced CO selectivity and production rates.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the energy band alignment of Sb2Se3/CdS:Al heterojunction is modified from a cliff-like structure to a spike-like one.
Abstract: Exhibiting outstanding optoelectronic properties, antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) has attracted considerable interest and has been developed as a light absorber layer for thin‐film solar cells over the decade. However, current state‐of‐the‐art Sb2Se3 devices suffer from unsatisfactory “cliff‐like” band alignment and severe interface recombination loss, which deteriorates device performance. In this study, the heterojunction interface of an Sb2Se3 solar cell is improved by introducing effective aluminum (Al3+) cation into the CdS buffer layer. Then, the energy band alignment of Sb2Se3/CdS:Al heterojunction is modified from a “cliff‐like” structure to a “spike‐like” structure. Finally, heterojunction interface engineering suppresses recombination losses and strengthens carrier transport, resulting in a high efficiency of 8.41% for the substrate‐structured Sb2Se3 solar cell. This study proposes a facile strategy for interfacial treatment and elucidates the related carrier transport enhancement mechanism, paving a bright avenue to overcome the efficiency bottleneck of Sb2Se3 thin‐film solar cells.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a nano-architectured Sb2S3 template was used to synthesize high-density (10.32 wt%) antimony (Sb) single atoms on nitrogen and sulfur-codoped carbon nanofibers, which exhibits both high selectivity (97.2%) and mass activity (114.9 A g-1 at 0.65 V) toward the 2e- oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolyte.
Abstract: Selective two-electron (2e-) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) offers great opportunities for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) electrosynthesis and its widespread employment depends on identifying cost-effective catalysts with high activity and selectivity. Main-group metal and nitrogen coordinated carbons (M-N-Cs) are promising but remain largely underexplored due to the low metal-atom density and the lack of understanding in the structure-property correlation. Here, we report using a nanoarchitectured Sb2S3 template to synthesize high-density (10.32 wt%) antimony (Sb) single atoms on nitrogen- and sulfur-codoped carbon nanofibers (Sb-NSCF), which exhibits both high selectivity (97.2%) and mass activity (114.9 A g-1 at 0.65 V) toward the 2e- ORR in alkaline electrolyte. Further, when evaluated with a practical flow cell, Sb-NSCF shows a high production rate of 7.46 mol gcatalyst-1 h-1 with negligible loss in activity and selectivity in a 75-h continuous electrolysis. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the coordination configuration and the S dopants synergistically contribute to the enhanced 2e- ORR activity and selectivity of the Sb-N4 moieties.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this article , it was shown that the adiabatic ionization energy (IE) of CnSb decreased with n. When comparing the IE~n relationship of Sb with that of pure Cn, the latter exhibited a stair-step pattern (n ≥ 6), but the IE ~n relationship took the shape of a flat curve.
Abstract: The C-C bond lengths of the linear magnetic neutral CnSb, CnSb+ cations and CnSb− anions are within 1.255–1.336 Å, which is typical for cumulene structures with moderately strong double-bonds. In this report, we found that the adiabatic ionization energy (IE) of CnSb decreased with n. When comparing the IE~n relationship of CnSb with that of pure Cn, we found that the latter exhibited a stair-step pattern (n ≥ 6), but the IE~n relationship of CnSb chains took the shape of a flat curve. The IEs of CnSb were lower than those of corresponding pure carbon chains. Different from pure carbon chains, the adiabatic electron affinity of CnSb does not exhibit a parity effect. There is an even-odd alternation for the incremental binding energies of the open chain CnSb (for n = 1–16) and CnSb+ (n = 1–10, when n > 10, the incremental binding energies of odd (n) chain of CnSb+ are larger than adjacent clusters). The difference in the incremental binding energies between the even and odd chains of both CnSb and pure Cn diminishes with the increase in n. The incremental binding energies for CnSb− anions do not exhibit a parity effect. For carbon chain clusters, the most favorable binding site of atomic antimony is the terminal carbon of the carbon cluster because the terminal carbon with a large spin density bonds in an unsaturated way. The C-Sb bond is a double bond with Wiberg bond index (WBI) between 1.41 and 2.13, which is obviously stronger for a carbon chain cluster with odd-number carbon atoms. The WBI of all C-C bonds was determined to be between 1.63 and 2.01, indicating the cumulene character of the carbon chain. Generally, the alteration of WBI and, in particular, the carbon chain cluster is consistent with the bond length alteration. However, the shorter C-C distance did not indicate a larger WBI. Rather than relying on the empirical comparison of bond distance, the WBI is a meaningful quantitative indicator for predicting the bonding strength in the carbon chain.
6 citations
TL;DR: The main group p-block metal catalysts are promising NO-to-NH3 conversion candidates but remain largely unexplored in the literature as discussed by the authors , which is a promising pathway to achieve both harmful NO treatment and effective NH3 electrosynthesis.
Abstract: Electrochemical NO-to-NH3 conversion (NORR) offers a promising pathway to achieve both harmful NO treatment and effective NH3 electrosynthesis. Main group p-block metal catalysts are promising NORR candidates but remain largely...
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article , a novel biochar supported magnesium ferrite (BC@MF) was adopted for Sb(III) removal from groundwater, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 77.44 mg g-1.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article , a review aims to understand the toxicity of heavy metals and metalloids in food and to shed light on the emerging technologies for their detection, including atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), spectrofluorimetry, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, e-tongues, electrochemical aptasensors, Raman spectroscopy, and fluorescence sensors.
Abstract: Heavy metal and metalloid poisoning in the environment and food has piqued the public’s interest since it poses significant hazards to the ecological system and human health. In food, several metals, including cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), tin (Sn), manganese (Mn), and aluminium (Al), and metalloids, including arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), and selenium (Se), pose a severe threat to human health. It is of utmost importance to detect even minute quantities of these toxic elements and this must be efficiently determined to understand their risk. Several traditional and advanced technologies, including atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), spectrofluorimetry, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, e-tongues, electrochemical aptasensors, Raman spectroscopy, and fluorescence sensors, among other techniques, have proven highly beneficial in quantifying even the minute concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids in food and dietary supplements. Hence, this review aims to understand the toxicity of these metals and metalloids in food and to shed light on the emerging technologies for their detection.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , MoO2 was introduced as an intermediate layer (IL) in Sb2Se3 solar cells, and comparative investigations were conducted, and significant optimization enhanced the open-circuit voltage (VOC) of solar cells from 0.481 V to 0.487 V, shortcircuit current density (JSC) from 23.81 mA/cm2 to 29.29 mA /cm2, and fill factor from 50.28% to 57.10% which boosted the PCE from 5.75% to 8.14%.
4 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors showed that the ionization energies significantly decrease with the supercell size, when including the effects of spin-orbit coupling and extrapolating the results to the dilute limit.
Abstract: Low p-type doping is a limiting factor to increase CdTe thin-film solar-cell efficiency toward the theoretical Shockley-Queisser limit of 33%. Previous calculations predict relatively high ionization energies for group-V acceptors (P, As, and Sb), and they are plagued by self-compensation, forming AX centers, severely limiting hole concentration. However, recent experiments on CdTe single crystals indicate a much more favorable scenario, where P, As, and Sb behave as shallow acceptors. Using hybrid functional calculations, we solve this puzzle by showing that the ionization energies significantly decrease with the supercell size. When including the effects of spin-orbit coupling and extrapolating the results to the dilute limit, we find these impurities behave as hydrogenic-like shallow acceptors, and AX centers are unstable and do not limit p-type doping. We address the differences between our results and previous theoretical predictions and show that our ionization energies predict hole concentrations that agree with recent temperature-dependent Hall measurements.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigated the influence of substrate properties on the preferred orientation and microstructure of Sb2Se3 films systematically, and showed that the (hk 0)-preferentially oriented devices exhibited a poor performance of less than 1.1 %.
TL;DR: In this paper , a comprehensive analysis of adsorbent species with the ability to remove antimony from water is presented, with a special emphasis on the Sb adsorption behavior of various materials and their Sb-adsorbent interaction mechanisms.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors conduct a comparative study of chalcogenide absorbers across a wide material space, in order to assess their suitability for different types of applications.
Abstract: Chalcogenide-based semiconductors have recently emerged as promising candidates for optoelectronic devices, benefiting from their low-cost, solution processability, excellent stability and tunable optoelectronic properties. However, the understanding of their fundamental optoelectronic properties is far behind the success of device performance and starts to limit their further development. To fill this gap, we conduct a comparative study of chalcogenide absorbers across a wide material space, in order to assess their suitability for different types of applications. We utilize optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy and time-resolved microwave conductivity techniques to fully analyze their charge-carrier dynamics. We show that antimony-based chalcogenide thin films exhibit relatively low charge-carrier mobilities and short lifetimes, compared with bismuth-based chalcogenides. In particular, AgBiS2 thin films possess the highest mobility, and Sb2S3 thin films have less energetic disorder, which are beneficial for photovoltaic devices. On the contrary, Bi2S3 showed ultralong carrier lifetime and high photoconductive gain, which is beneficial for designing photoconductors.
TL;DR: In this paper , the structural factors that contribute to high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of hybrid organic-inorganic antimony halides have been investigated.
Abstract: Hybrid organic-inorganic antimony halides have attracted increasing attention due to the non-toxicity, stability, and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). To shed light on the structural factors that contribute to the high PLQY, five pairs of antimony halides with general formula A2SbCl5 and A2Sb2Cl8 are synthesized via two distinct methods and characterized. The A2SbCl5 type adopts square pyramidal [SbCl5] geometry with near-unity PLQY, while the A2Sb2Cl8 adopts seesaw dimmer [Sb2Cl8] geometry with PLQY~0%. Through combined data analysis with the literature, we have found that A2SbCl5 series with square pyramidal geometry generally has much longer Sb…Sb distances, leading to more expressed lone pairs of Sb (III). Additional factors including Sb─Cl distance and stability of antimony chlorides may also affect PLQY. Our targeted synthesis and correlated insights provide efficient tools to precisely form highly emissive materials for optoelectronic applications.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors developed a high-energy-density TiO2-Sb nanotable with a small amount of Sb content (6.4 wt%) through calcination of a MIL-125-based Ti-metal-organic framework under reductive atmosphere.
TL;DR: In this article , the first examples of Bi(III and Sb(III) halide compounds combined with a photoswitchable ruthenium nitrosyl unit are reported.
Abstract: The first examples of Bi(III) and Sb(III) halide compounds combined with a photoswitchable ruthenium nitrosyl unit are reported. The structures of [RuNOPy4Br]4[Sb2Br8][Sb3Br12]2 (1) and (H3O)[RuNOPy4Br]4[Bi2Br9]3·3H2O (2) were determined by X-ray diffraction, and exhibit three different structural types of group 15 halometalates. Low-temperature IR-spectroscopy measurements reveal that the irradiation of 1 at 365 nm switches a stable Ru-NO (GS) unit to a metastable Ru-ON (MS1) linkage. Moreover, the light excitation of 2 at 365 or 405 nm induces the additional formation of a side-bond isomer Ru-η2-(NO) (MS2). The reverse reactions MS1/MS2 → GS can be induced by red-infrared light irradiation or by heating at temperatures >200 K. The obtained synthetic and spectroscopic data open the way for the preparation of hybrid halide complexes with a variety of photoswitchable complexes (NO2, SO2, N2, etc.), and give an insight into the behavior of light-induced species embedded in polynuclear halides.
TL;DR: In this paper , a large flood in 2014 in Western Serbia resulted in the breaking of the dam of the processed antimony ore dump of the former antimony mine, causing toxic tailings to spill and pollute the downstream area.
Abstract: Background: Anthropogenic activities have clearly affected the environment, with irreversible and destructive consequences. Mining activities have a significant negative impact, primarily on soil, and then on human health. The negative impact of the first mining activities is represented even today in the soils of those localities. Research shows that, for different types of mines, the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are high, especially in antimony, multi-metal and lead–zinc mines, which have adverse effects on the environment and then on human health and the economy. A large flood in 2014 in Western Serbia resulted in the breaking of the dam of the processed antimony ore dump of the former antimony mine, causing toxic tailings to spill and pollute the downstream area. Due to this accident, tailings material flooded the area downstream of the dump, and severely affected the local agriculture and population. Methods: Potentially toxic elements content, pollution indices and health indices were determined in soil samples from the flooded area, using referenced methodologies. The sources and routes of pollutants and risks were determined and quantified using statistical principal component analysis, positive matrix factorisation, and a Monte Carlo simulation. Results: The main source of As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb and Zn in the upper part of the study area was the tailing material. Based on the pollution indices, about 72% of the studied samples show a high risk of contamination and are mainly distributed immediately downstream of the tailings dump that was spilled due to heavy rainfall. Conclusions: Although the content of the PTEs is high, there is no non-carcinogenic risk for any PTEs except As, for which a threshold risk was determined. There is no carcinogenic risk in the study area.
TL;DR: Zhang et al. as discussed by the authors performed a detailed microscope observation, trace element, and sulfur isotopic analyses on stibnite from the Xikuangshan, Woxi, and Banxi deposits in the Xiangzhong metallogenic province to constrain the ore genesis.
19 Jan 2023
TL;DR: In this article , antimony (III) (Sb3+) was introduced into the octahedral lattice sites of CABI structure, leading to CABI-Sb with substantially larger crystalline domains than CABI.
Abstract: Perovskite-inspired Cu2AgBiI6 (CABI) absorber has recently gained increased popularity due to its low toxicity, intrinsic air stability, and wide bandgap ≈ 2 eV, which makes it ideal for indoor photovoltaics (IPVs). However, the considerable presence of both intrinsic and surface defects is responsible of the still modest indoor power conversion efficiency (PCE(i)) of CABI- based IPVs, with the short-circuit current density (JSC) being nearly half of the theoretical limit. Herein, we introduce antimony (III) (Sb3+) into the octahedral lattice sites of CABI structure, leading to CABI-Sb with substantially larger crystalline domains than CABI. The alloying of Sb3+ with bismuth (III) (Bi3+) induces changes in the local structural symmetry, in turn causing a remarkably increased formation energy of intrinsic defects. This accounts for the overall reduced defect density in CABI-Sb. CABI-Sb IPVs feature an outstanding PCE(i) of nearly 10% (9.53%) at 1000 lux, which represents an almost double PCE(i) compared to that of CABI devices (5.52%) mainly due to an improvement in JSC. This work will promote future compositional design studies to reduce the intrinsic defect tolerance of next-generation wide- bandgap absorbers for high-performance and stable IPVs.
TL;DR: In this article , deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were used to solve the problem of easy hydrolysis and oxidation of the emerging optical functional groups Sb3+ cations, producing three novel antimony chloride oxalates named A2Sb(C2O4)Cl3 (A = NH4, K, Rb).
Abstract: Deep eutectic solvents (DESs), which are considered as a new kind of green solvents, have been adopted for the synthesis of diverse functional materials. Herein, DESs synthesis is used to solve the problem of easy hydrolysis and oxidation of the emerging optical functional groups Sb3+ cations, producing three novel antimony chloride oxalates named A2Sb(C2O4)Cl3 (A = NH4, K, Rb). The three title compounds feature noncentrosymmetric structures consisted of [Sb(C2O4)Cl3]2– anionic clusters, which induce excellent linear and nonlinear optical properties of them. Particularly, Rb2Sb(C2O4)Cl3 exhibits a strong nonlinear optical response that is 2.1 times that of KH2PO4, as well as large calculated birefringence of 0.22@546 nm, indicating that antimony oxalates are promising optical materials. This work affords an effective strategy to settle the difficulties in crystallization of the materials including cations with low oxidation state and easy hydrolysis.
TL;DR: In this article , a triple-mode photoluminescence (PL) switching was realized in 0D metal halide through stepwise single-crystal to singlecrystal (SC-SC) transformation.
Abstract: Intelligent stimuli-responsive fluorescence materials are extremely pivotal for fabricating luminescent turn-on switching in solid-state photonic integration technology, but it remains a challenging objective for typical 3-dimensional (3D) perovskite nanocrystals. Herein, by fine-tuning the accumulation modes of metal halide components to dynamically control the carrier characteristics, a novel triple-mode photoluminescence (PL) switching was realized in 0D metal halide through stepwise single-crystal to single-crystal (SC-SC) transformation. Specifically, a family of 0D hybrid antimony halides was designed to exhibit three distinct types of PL performance including nonluminescent [Ph3EtP]2Sb2Cl8 (1), yellow-emissive [Ph3EtP]2SbCl5·EtOH (2), and red-emissive [Ph3EtP]2SbCl5 (3). Upon stimulus of ethanol, 1 was successfully converted to 2 through SC-SC transformation with enhanced PL quantum yield from ~0% to 91.50% acting as “turn-on” luminescent switching. Meanwhile, reversible SC-SC and luminescence transformation between 2 and 3 can be also achieved in the ethanol impregnation–heating process as luminescence vapochromism switching. As a consequence, a new triple-model turn-on and color-adjustable luminescent switching of off–onI–onII was realized in 0D hybrid halides. Simultaneously, wide advanced applications were also achieved in anti-counterfeiting, information security, and optical logic gates. This novel photon engineering strategy is expected to deepen the understanding of dynamic PL switching mechanism and guide development of new smart luminescence materials in cutting-edge optical switchable device.
TL;DR: In this paper , a reverse Monte Carlo method was used to extract detailed and accurate structural information in terms of the radial and bond angle distribution functions of ZnO:Sb thin films.
TL;DR: In this paper , a new birefringent crystal of Sb4O3(TeO3)2(HSO4)(OH) was achieved by incorporating two stereochemically active lone pair (SCALP) cations into sulfates simultaneously.
Abstract: A new birefringent crystal of Sb4O3(TeO3)2(HSO4)(OH) was achieved by incorporating two stereochemically active lone pair (SCALP) cations of Sb(III) and Te(IV) into sulfates simultaneously. The Sb3+ and Te4+ ions display highly distorted coordination environments due to the SCALP effect. Sb4O3(TeO3)2(HSO4)(OH) displays a 3D structure composed of [Sb4O3(TeO3)2(OH)]∞+ layers bridged by [SO3(OH)]- tetrahedra. It possesses a large birefringence and a wide optical transparent range, making it a new UV birefringent crystal. First-principles calculation analysis suggests that the synergistic effect of the cooperation of SCALP effect of Sb3+ and Te4+ cations make a dominant contribution to the birefringence. The work highlights that units with SCALP cations have advantages in generating large optical anisotropy and are preferable structural units for designing novel birefringent materials.
TL;DR: In this article , antimony anchored in MoS2 nanosheets with N-doped carbon coating (Sb/MoS2/NCs) are prepared and evaluated as anode for PIBs.
TL;DR: In this paper , a detailed survey of soil heavy metals from different land cover types was investigated around the Xikuangshan (XKS) antimony mine in south-central China.
Abstract: To understand contamination characteristics and identify sources of heavy metals in soil affected by complex mine activities, a detailed survey of soil heavy metals from different land cover types was investigated around the Xikuangshan (XKS) antimony mine in south-central China. Soil samples had average concentrations of Sb, As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni exceeding their background level in the Hunan province. Sb, As and Cd were the main pollutants. A total of 86.8% of samples were severely polluted, characterized by the Nemerow’s comprehensive index, and 68.4% of samples were of very high potential ecological risk, primarily contributed by Sb, Cd and Hg. Among different land cover patterns, Hg, Pb and Cd concentrations showed a statistically significant difference. The application of Pearson correlation, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) combined with spatial interpolation GIS mapping revealed that Ni, Cr and Cu were mainly from natural parent materials, whereas other heavy metals were related to anthropogenic sources. Pb, As and Hg were mainly derived from smelting processes of sulfide minerals in the XKS area. The agricultural practice is the main factor for the accumulation of Cd and Zn, and sphalerite smelting also contributed to high Zn concentrations. Particularly, spatial variation of soil Sb concentrations was affected by multiple factors of complex antimony mine activities related to mining, beneficiation and smelting in the XKS area. These results are useful for the prevention and reduction of heavy metal contamination in soils by various effective measures in typical regions affected by antimony mine activities.