Cr3O5

Cr3O5 is a semiconducting chromium oxide catalyst that is studied for its potential chemical reactivity despite its inherent thermodynamic instability.

CrO
Crystal structure of Cr3O5 (triclinic, P1 (No. 1))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Cr3O5

Cr3O5 is a semiconducting oxide that belongs to the broader family of spinel-related catalysts. It is characterized by a complex structural arrangement, with multiple reported configurations reflecting its intricate chemistry within the chromium-oxygen system. While it is an interesting subject for materials science research, it is noted for being thermodynamically unstable relative to other phases in its compositional space.

Because of its electronic properties, this compound is primarily investigated for its potential role in catalytic processes. Its ability to facilitate chemical reactions makes it a candidate for specialized industrial applications where semiconducting oxides are required to manage electron transfer or surface reactivity.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Cr3O5, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

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

Energy Above Hull

0.356 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Unstable
2 DFT sources

Structures

11
3 databases, 6 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Cr3O5. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.98 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.005 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

—
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Cr3O5, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.000.3556-1.752—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.700.3602-8.5993.58
Pm (No. 6)monoclinic———5.13
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic———5.37
P-62m (No. 189)hexagonal———6.45
P4/mmm (No. 123)tetragonal———4.57
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———5.56
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic———4.47
P-62m (No. 189)hexagonal———5.93
P-62m (No. 189)hexagonal———5.32
P-62m (No. 189)hexagonal———5.99
Uses

Applications

Where Cr3O5 is used.

Catalysis researchSemiconductor materials development
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Cr3O5, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Cr3O5?

Cr3O5 is a semiconducting chromium oxide catalyst that is studied for its potential chemical reactivity despite its inherent thermodynamic instability.

More questions
What is Cr3O5 used for?
Cr3O5 is used in catalysis research and semiconductor materials development.
What is the band gap of Cr3O5?
Cr3O5 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.70 eV across 11 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Cr3O5 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.70 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Cr3O5 thermodynamically stable?
Cr3O5 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.356 eV/atom (unstable).
What is the crystal structure of Cr3O5?
The reference structure of Cr3O5 is triclinic symmetry, space group P1 (No. 1).
How many polymorphs of Cr3O5 are known?
11 structures of Cr3O5 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 6 distinct space groups.
What elements does Cr3O5 contain?
Cr3O5 contains Cr and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Cr3O5 come from?
Cr3O5 data is cross-referenced from jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Unlike highly stable and widely utilized spinel members such as MgAl2O4 or simple binary oxides like NiO and ZnO, Cr3O5 exists in a more precarious thermodynamic state. While materials like LaMnO3 or LaNiO3 are frequently employed for their robust perovskite-based catalytic activity, Cr3O5 represents a more challenging, less conventional member of the oxide catalyst class that requires careful synthesis due to its position above the stability hull.

Data sources & attribution
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • 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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