CrMo

CrMo is a metallic binary alloy of chromium and molybdenum that exhibits a wide array of structural possibilities despite its thermodynamic instability.

CrMo
Crystal structure of CrMo (orthorhombic, Cmmm (No. 65))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About CrMo

CrMo is a binary metallic compound composed of chromium and molybdenum. As a metallic system, it exhibits characteristic electron delocalization and conductivity typical of transition metal alloys. Its structural landscape is remarkably diverse, with a high volume of reported configurations across various databases.

Despite the significant number of identified structures, the compound sits above the thermodynamic hull, suggesting it is metastable or unstable under standard conditions. This makes it a subject of interest for researchers studying phase formation and the complex interplay between alloying elements in transition metal systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

Metallic / not reported

Energy Above Hull

0.044 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
3 DFT sources

Structures

165
4 databases, 24 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

0.71 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.072 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: Cmmm (No. 65))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pm-3m (No. 221)cubic0.000.04400.044—
Pm-3m (No. 221)cubic0.000.04910.049—
——0.000.05990.060—
Cmmm (No. 65)orthorhombic0.000.1163-20.4568.79
——0.000.13480.135—
——0.000.43260.433—
——0.000.51620.516—
——0.001.02401.024—
——0.002.12992.130—
Pm (No. 6)monoclinic———9.57
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———8.20
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———5.00
Uses

Applications

Where CrMo is used.

Fundamental materials science researchAlloy phase stability studiesComputational modeling of transition metal systems
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is CrMo?

CrMo is a metallic binary alloy of chromium and molybdenum that exhibits a wide array of structural possibilities despite its thermodynamic instability.

More questions
What is CrMo used for?
CrMo is used in fundamental materials science research, alloy phase stability studies, and computational modeling of transition metal systems.
What is the band gap of CrMo?
The reported DFT structures of CrMo 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 CrMo 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 CrMo thermodynamically stable?
CrMo has a lowest energy above hull of 0.044 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of CrMo?
The reference structure of CrMo is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Cmmm (No. 65).
What is the density of CrMo?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of CrMo is 8.79 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CrMo are known?
165 structures of CrMo are reported across 4 databases, spanning 24 distinct space groups.
What elements does CrMo contain?
CrMo contains Cr and Mo (2 elements).
Where does the data for CrMo come from?
CrMo data is cross-referenced from jarvis, oqmd, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a binary transition metal alloy, CrMo represents a fundamental combination of two refractory elements. Unlike more stable intermetallic phases, its position above the thermodynamic hull highlights the challenges in synthesizing this specific stoichiometry, distinguishing it from more robust, naturally occurring alloy phases.

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)
  • 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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