AcN

Actinium nitride

Actinium nitride is a thermodynamically stable, semimetallic compound composed of actinium and nitrogen that is frequently studied for its structural properties.

AcN
Crystal structure of AcN (hexagonal, P63mc (No. 186))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Actinium nitride

Actinium nitride is a stable binary compound formed from actinium and nitrogen. It is characterized by its semimetallic electronic nature, positioning it as a unique material within the broader context of actinide chemistry. Its presence on the thermodynamic convex hull indicates a high degree of stability under standard conditions. The material has been the subject of extensive structural investigation, with numerous reported configurations across multiple databases. This data richness highlights its significance in fundamental research regarding the behavior of actinide-based ceramics and their potential electronic configurations.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Actinium nitride, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

0.05 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

18
4 databases, 7 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for AcN, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal0.050.0000-40.2068.01
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic5.99
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic9.87
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic6.14
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic8.58
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic9.05
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic7.30
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic13.00
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic6.97
P-6m2 (No. 187)
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic8.08
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic5.32
Uses

Applications

Where Actinium nitride is used.

Fundamental actinide researchNuclear materials scienceSolid-state physics studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Actinium nitride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is AcN?

Actinium nitride is a thermodynamically stable, semimetallic compound composed of actinium and nitrogen that is frequently studied for its structural properties.

More questions
What is AcN used for?
Actinium nitride (AcN) is used in fundamental actinide research, nuclear materials science, and solid-state physics studies.
What is the band gap of AcN?
Actinium nitride (AcN) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.05 eV across 18 reported structures.
Is AcN a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a near-zero band gap it behaves as a (semi)metal.
Is AcN thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Actinium nitride (AcN) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of AcN?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Actinium nitride (AcN) is hexagonal symmetry, space group P63mc (No. 186).
What is the density of AcN?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Actinium nitride (AcN) is 8.01 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of AcN are known?
18 structures of AcN are reported across 4 databases, spanning 7 distinct space groups.
What elements does AcN contain?
Actinium nitride (AcN) contains Ac and N (2 elements).
Where does the data for AcN come from?
AcN data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, nomad, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone entry in this database, actinium nitride represents a critical reference point for understanding the structural and electronic trends of actinide nitrides. Its stability and semimetallic character provide a baseline for evaluating the behavior of other heavy-element compounds within the actinide series.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • nomad — Data from NOMAD. Cite: Draxl & Scheffler, J. Phys. Mater. 2, 036001 (2019).
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

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