C3N2
C3N2 is a wide-gap insulating compound composed of carbon and nitrogen that exists as a metastable phase with numerous theoretical structural configurations.
About C3N2
C3N2 is an insulating carbon-nitrogen compound characterized by a wide electronic band gap. Its structural complexity is highlighted by the significant number of reported configurations found across various materials databases, reflecting its interest in high-pressure and theoretical chemistry research.
As a material that resides above the thermodynamic hull, C3N2 is considered metastable or unstable under ambient conditions. This positioning makes it a subject of intense investigation for researchers exploring synthetic pathways and the potential for novel carbon-nitride phases.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for C3N2, aggregated across 6 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of C3N2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for C3N2, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P-43m (No. 215) | cubic | 3.75 | 0.2647 | -9.355 | 3.23 |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 3.26 | 0.2650 | -9.355 | 3.22 |
| P-43m (No. 215) | cubic | 4.21 | 0.3870 | 0.379 | — |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 3.28 | 0.3893 | 0.381 | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| P1 (No. 1) | triclinic | — | — | — | 2.99 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.54 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.93 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.35 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.55 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.81 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Applications
Where C3N2 is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about C3N2, answered from cross-validated data.
What is C3N2?
C3N2 is a wide-gap insulating compound composed of carbon and nitrogen that exists as a metastable phase with numerous theoretical structural configurations.
What is C3N2 used for?
What is the band gap of C3N2?
Is C3N2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is C3N2 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of C3N2?
What is the density of C3N2?
How many polymorphs of C3N2 are known?
What elements does C3N2 contain?
Where does the data for C3N2 come from?
How It Compares
As a unique carbon-nitrogen phase, C3N2 serves as a critical data point in the broader exploration of nitrogen-rich carbon materials, where it represents the challenges of synthesizing and stabilizing metastable insulating frameworks.
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)
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
- nomad — Data from NOMAD (nomad-lab.eu). Cite: Draxl & Scheffler, J. Phys. Mater. 2, 036001 (2019). (CC-BY-4.0)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
- alexandria — Data from Alexandria. Cite: Schmidt et al., npj Comput. Mater. 10, 200 (2024). (CC-BY-4.0)
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)
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