C3N4

carbon nitride · beta-C3N4, graphitic carbon nitride

Carbon nitride is a metastable, wide-band-gap insulating material composed of carbon and nitrogen, recognized for its potential in advanced technological applications.

CN
Crystal structure of C3N4
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About carbon nitride

Carbon nitride is a fascinating material composed of carbon and nitrogen atoms that exists in a metastable state. Its wide-band-gap insulating nature makes it a subject of intense research for advanced electronic and optoelectronic applications where traditional semiconductors may reach their limits.

Due to its structural complexity, this compound has been extensively mapped across multiple databases. Its potential for high hardness and unique chemical stability positions it as a significant candidate for next-generation materials engineering.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

0.84–5.04 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.089 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
3 DFT sources

Structures

55
4 databases, 14 space groups
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting C3N4.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Uses

Applications

Where carbon nitride is used.

PhotocatalysisHard coating materialsSemiconductor researchGas sensing
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

9 patents reference C3N4 or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
12384690g-C3N4@CuO/MgA12O4 nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of pollutants in contaminated water
11618011V-Ni2P/g-C3N4 photocatalyst and its preparation method and application thereof
10252253G-C3N4 film
12421129Copper hydroxy nitrate/calcium silicate @graphite-phase carbon nitride (Cu2(OH)3NO3/CaSiO3@g-C3N4) based photo
12420267g-C3N4@CoO/MgAl2O4 nanocomposite for hydrogen generation
6428762Powder synthesis and characterization of amorphous carbon nitride, a-C3N4
12365586Nanocomposite of graphitic C3N4, MnO2, and MgAl2O4 for hydrogen generation
7708971Method for preparing carbon nitride C3N4
12370534g-C3N4@CuO/MgAl2O4 nanocomposite synthesis for hydrogen generation
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is C3N4?

Carbon nitride is a metastable, wide-band-gap insulating material composed of carbon and nitrogen, recognized for its potential in advanced technological applications.

More questions
What is C3N4 used for?
carbon nitride (C3N4) is used in photocatalysis, hard coating materials, semiconductor research, and gas sensing.
What is the band gap of C3N4?
carbon nitride (C3N4) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.84–5.04 eV across 55 reported structures.
Is C3N4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 5.04 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is C3N4 thermodynamically stable?
carbon nitride (C3N4) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.089 eV/atom (metastable).
How many polymorphs of C3N4 are known?
55 structures of C3N4 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 14 distinct space groups.
How is C3N4 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for C3N4 include sol gel.
What elements does C3N4 contain?
carbon nitride (C3N4) contains C and N (2 elements).
Where does the data for C3N4 come from?
C3N4 data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone material of interest, carbon nitride represents a unique class of covalent solids that push the boundaries of synthetic chemistry. While it lacks direct structural siblings in this specific dataset, it serves as a benchmark for metastable nitrogen-rich frameworks that are currently being explored for their extreme mechanical and electronic potential.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

Analyze C3N4 in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 53 integrated data sources.

Explore the Platform →