BaCaO2

BaCaO2 is a metastable, semiconducting ternary oxide consisting of barium, calcium, and oxygen.

BaCaO
Crystal structure of BaCaO2 (tetragonal, P4/mmm (No. 123))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About BaCaO2

BaCaO2 is a ternary oxide composed of barium, calcium, and oxygen. As a semiconducting material, it represents a complex arrangement of alkaline earth metals that has been the subject of significant structural investigation across multiple databases. Its electronic nature makes it a point of interest for researchers studying the fundamental properties of mixed-cation oxides. Because it is classified as a metastable phase, the synthesis and stabilization of BaCaO2 require precise control over processing conditions. This metastability often dictates its potential utility in specialized thin-film applications or as a precursor in the development of more complex ceramic systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for BaCaO2, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

2.11–2.82 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.054 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
3 DFT sources

Structures

16
4 databases, 2 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of BaCaO2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.28 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.179 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: P4/mmm (No. 123))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for BaCaO2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic2.820.0541-6.4664.76
——2.200.1046-2.837—
——2.200.1047-2.837—
——2.700.1640-2.777—
——2.750.1675-2.774—
P4/mmm (No. 123)tetragonal2.140.1995-6.3204.63
——2.110.2056-2.736—
——2.130.2056-2.736—
——2.110.2082-2.733—
P4/mmm (No. 123)tetragonal2.140.2335-2.790—
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———4.98
P4/mmm (No. 123)tetragonal———4.63
Uses

Applications

Where BaCaO2 is used.

Materials science researchCeramic precursor developmentThin-film deposition studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about BaCaO2, answered from cross-validated data.

What is BaCaO2?

BaCaO2 is a metastable, semiconducting ternary oxide consisting of barium, calcium, and oxygen.

More questions
What is BaCaO2 used for?
BaCaO2 is used in materials science research, ceramic precursor development, and thin-film deposition studies.
What is the band gap of BaCaO2?
BaCaO2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.11–2.82 eV across 16 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is BaCaO2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 2.82 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is BaCaO2 thermodynamically stable?
BaCaO2 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.054 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of BaCaO2?
The reference structure of BaCaO2 is tetragonal symmetry, space group P4/mmm (No. 123).
What is the density of BaCaO2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of BaCaO2 is 4.63 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of BaCaO2 are known?
16 structures of BaCaO2 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 2 distinct space groups.
What elements does BaCaO2 contain?
BaCaO2 contains Ba, Ca, and O (3 elements).
Where does the data for BaCaO2 come from?
BaCaO2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique ternary oxide, BaCaO2 occupies a distinct niche in materials science where its metastability and semiconducting behavior define its research utility. Unlike more common, highly stable binary oxides, this compound serves as a critical case study for understanding the structural diversity and phase stability of alkaline earth metal combinations.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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