CrN
Chromium nitride · Chromium(III) nitride
Chromium nitride is a hard, ceramic material known for its exceptional durability and resistance to chemical degradation. It is frequently applied as a thin-film coating to improve the surface properties of industrial tools and mechanical components.
CrN
Overview
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Chromium nitride, aggregated across 4 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Metallic / not reported
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
0.023 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
Near hull (likely stable)
2 DFT sources
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
478
4 databases, 44 space groups
Validation
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of CrN. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
2
jarvis, materials_project
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
All match
Crystallography
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for CrN, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pmmn (No. 59) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.0225 | -12.828 | 6.20 |
| R-3m (No. 166) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0411 | -12.809 | 6.13 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 0.0476 | -12.803 | 6.13 |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0482 | -12.802 | 5.96 |
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0703 | -12.780 | 5.15 |
| P4/nmm (No. 129) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.0769 | -12.773 | 6.17 |
| P-6m2 (No. 187) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.2444 | -12.606 | 6.87 |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.6788 | -12.171 | 6.84 |
| P-6m2 (No. 187) | Hexagonal | — | — | — | 7.13 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 5.83 |
| P213 (No. 198) | Cubic | — | — | — | 6.41 |
| Cmme (No. 67) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 6.01 |
Uses
Applications
Where Chromium nitride is used.
Protective coatings for cutting toolsWear-resistant industrial componentsCorrosion-resistant surface treatmentsDecorative coatings
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chromium nitride, answered from cross-validated data.
What is CrN?
Chromium nitride is a hard, ceramic material known for its exceptional durability and resistance to chemical degradation. It is frequently applied as a thin-film coating to improve the surface properties of industrial tools and mechanical components.
More questions
What is CrN used for?
Chromium nitride (CrN) is used in protective coatings for cutting tools, wear-resistant industrial components, corrosion-resistant surface treatments, and decorative coatings.
What is the band gap of CrN?
Chromium nitride (CrN) is computed to be metallic (no band gap) in the reported DFT structures.
Is CrN a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Computed band structures report no gap, so it is metallic.
Is CrN thermodynamically stable?
Chromium nitride (CrN) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.023 eV/atom (near hull (likely stable)).
What is the crystal structure of CrN?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Chromium nitride (CrN) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pmmn (No. 59).
What is the density of CrN?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Chromium nitride (CrN) is 6.20 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CrN are known?
478 structures of CrN are reported across 4 databases, spanning 44 distinct space groups.
What elements does CrN contain?
Chromium nitride (CrN) contains Cr and N (2 elements).
Where does the data for CrN come from?
CrN data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, cod.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
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