CeN2

CeN2 is a metastable semiconducting compound containing cerium and nitrogen that is primarily studied for its unique structural and electronic characteristics.

CeN
Crystal structure of CeN2 (monoclinic, Cm (No. 8))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About CeN2

CeN2 is a semiconducting binary compound composed of cerium and nitrogen. As a metastable phase, it represents a unique configuration within the cerium-nitrogen chemical space, offering distinct electronic properties that differ from the more common stoichiometric nitrides.

Its existence as a metastable material makes it a subject of significant interest for fundamental materials science research. Understanding the structural landscape of this compound helps researchers map the stability limits of rare-earth nitrides and explore potential pathways for synthesis.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for CeN2, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.55 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.034 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
2 DFT sources

Structures

61
3 databases, 10 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of CeN2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.99 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.002 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

—
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for CeN2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——0.000.0340-0.840—
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic0.550.0365-17.4945.71
——0.001.96861.094—
——0.001.98691.113—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.98
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———5.82
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.52
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———5.17
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———4.30
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———6.06
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———4.27
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———4.15
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about CeN2, answered from cross-validated data.

What is CeN2?

CeN2 is a metastable semiconducting compound containing cerium and nitrogen that is primarily studied for its unique structural and electronic characteristics.

More questions
What is the band gap of CeN2?
CeN2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.55 eV across 61 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is CeN2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.55 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is CeN2 thermodynamically stable?
CeN2 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.034 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of CeN2?
The reference structure of CeN2 is monoclinic symmetry, space group Cm (No. 8).
What is the density of CeN2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of CeN2 is 5.71 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CeN2 are known?
61 structures of CeN2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 10 distinct space groups.
What elements does CeN2 contain?
CeN2 contains Ce and N (2 elements).
Where does the data for CeN2 come from?
CeN2 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a metastable semiconducting phase, CeN2 occupies a specialized niche in the study of cerium-based compounds, serving as a critical data point for understanding the complex phase behavior of rare-earth nitrogen systems.

Data sources & attribution
  • 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)
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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