Tellurides as Zintl phases?

Future problems request the development of materials, which serve as components in technologies addressing these challenges. In this context, tellurides are of great interest since many members of that remarkable family of solids are at the frontline of fundamental research and technological applications. The tailored design of novel tellurides showing task-specific features also demands a proper understanding of their electronic structures, as the knowledge of them provides invaluable insights into the materials characteristics. Therefore, it will be quite helpful if there is a fundamental design principle that allows us to plan electronic peculiarities in tellurides in a straightforward manner. Eventually, the Zintl-Klemm-Busmann idea is a recipe that can guide us through electronic structures based on the corresponding crystal structures and it has been applied to several tellurides to date; yet, how helpful is that approach with regard to the prediction of electronic peculiarities for tellurides in general? In the framework of this review, it will be the overall goal to answer that question.