CoP

cobalt monophosphide · cobalt phosphide

Cobalt monophosphide is a stable, metallic transition-metal phosphide used as a high-performance catalyst in electrochemical reactions.

Crystal structure of CoP (orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About cobalt monophosphide

Cobalt monophosphide is a robust transition-metal phosphide that sits securely on the thermodynamic convex hull, indicating high structural stability. Its metallic electronic character makes it an excellent candidate for facilitating rapid charge transfer in catalytic environments.

Due to its favorable electronic properties and structural reliability, this compound is a subject of extensive investigation for its potential to replace precious metal catalysts. It is primarily utilized in electrochemical systems where efficient surface reactions are critical for performance.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for cobalt monophosphide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

Metallic / not reported

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

155
5 databases, 27 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.000.0000-11.6196.65
——0.000.0000-0.715—
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.000.0000-0.555—
——0.000.0923-0.623—
——0.000.2533-0.462—
——0.000.3113-0.404—
——0.000.3562-0.359—
——0.000.4121-0.303—
——0.000.4393-0.276—
——0.000.5132-0.202—
——0.000.5156-0.200—
——0.000.5425-0.173—
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting CoP.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Uses

Applications

Where cobalt monophosphide is used.

Hydrogen evolution reaction catalystsElectrochemical water splittingSupercapacitor electrodesLithium-ion battery anodes
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about cobalt monophosphide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is CoP?

Cobalt monophosphide is a stable, metallic transition-metal phosphide used as a high-performance catalyst in electrochemical reactions.

More questions
What is CoP used for?
cobalt monophosphide (CoP) is used in hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts, electrochemical water splitting, supercapacitor electrodes, and lithium-ion battery anodes.
What is the band gap of CoP?
The reported DFT structures of cobalt monophosphide (CoP) show no band gap. Standard DFT often misses gaps (especially in transition-metal oxides), so this is not proof the real material is a metal.
Is CoP a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT calculations predict no band gap. Standard DFT can miss gaps, so measurements are needed to confirm metallic behavior.
Is CoP thermodynamically stable?
Yes — cobalt monophosphide (CoP) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of CoP?
The reference structure of cobalt monophosphide (CoP) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pnma (No. 62).
What is the density of CoP?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of cobalt monophosphide (CoP) is 6.65 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CoP are known?
155 structures of CoP are reported across 5 databases, spanning 27 distinct space groups.
How is CoP synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for CoP include sol gel.
What elements does CoP contain?
cobalt monophosphide (CoP) contains Co and P (2 elements).
Where does the data for CoP come from?
CoP data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the transition-metal phosphide catalysts class.

Within the diverse family of transition-metal phosphides, CoP stands out as a highly stable and frequently studied alternative to other phosphides like Ni2P and FeP. While many members of this class exhibit varying degrees of metallic or semiconducting behavior, CoP is distinguished by its consistent metallic nature, which often provides superior conductivity compared to more complex phosphides like CoP2 or NiP2.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Transition-Metal Phosphide Catalysts in the database.

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.

Analyze CoP in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 85 source databases.

Explore the Platform →
Results are informational and should be validated by qualified professionals. See Terms of Service