B2H3

B2H3 is a metastable boron-hydrogen compound primarily investigated for its potential role in advanced hydrogen storage technologies.

Crystal structure of B2H3 (orthorhombic, Pbca (No. 61))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About B2H3

B2H3 is a binary hydride composed of boron and hydrogen, classified within the group of hydrogen storage materials. As a wide-band-gap insulator, it exhibits distinct electronic properties that differentiate it from metallic hydrides, making it a subject of interest for fundamental studies in chemical bonding and storage capacity.

Due to its metastable nature, this compound represents a challenging but scientifically significant phase in boron-hydrogen chemistry. Its structural complexity is highlighted by a high number of reported configurations, reflecting the intricate potential energy landscape inherent to boron-rich hydrides.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for B2H3, aggregated across 2 databases.

Band Gap

3.11 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.035 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
1 DFT source

Structures

130
2 databases, 22 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for B2H3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pbca (No. 61)orthorhombic3.110.0346-5.0680.82
R3m (No. 160)Trigonal1.70
Immm (No. 71)Orthorhombic1.89
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic2.09
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic1.77
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic1.61
R-3m (No. 166)Trigonal1.55
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic1.43
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic1.42
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic1.12
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic1.25
Immm (No. 71)Orthorhombic2.00
Uses

Applications

Where B2H3 is used.

Hydrogen storage researchFundamental materials scienceChemical energy storage studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about B2H3, answered from cross-validated data.

What is B2H3?

B2H3 is a metastable boron-hydrogen compound primarily investigated for its potential role in advanced hydrogen storage technologies.

More questions
What is B2H3 used for?
B2H3 is used in hydrogen storage research, fundamental materials science, and chemical energy storage studies.
What is the band gap of B2H3?
B2H3 has a DFT-computed band gap of 3.11 eV across 130 reported structures.
Is B2H3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 3.11 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is B2H3 thermodynamically stable?
B2H3 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.035 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of B2H3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of B2H3 is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pbca (No. 61).
What is the density of B2H3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of B2H3 is 0.82 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of B2H3 are known?
130 structures of B2H3 are reported across 2 databases, spanning 22 distinct space groups.
What elements does B2H3 contain?
B2H3 contains B and H (2 elements).
Where does the data for B2H3 come from?
B2H3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the hydrogen storage hydrides class.

Within the class of hydrogen storage hydrides, B2H3 occupies a distinct position compared to more conventional, stable ionic hydrides like LiH or CaH2. While compounds such as MgH2 and AlH3 are widely investigated for their practical hydrogen release profiles, B2H3 is distinguished by its metastable character and unique electronic insulation, placing it in a separate category of structural complexity compared to simpler binary hydrides.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Hydrogen Storage Hydrides in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

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