CrNi

CrNi is a metallic binary compound of chromium and nickel that is primarily studied for its structural properties despite being thermodynamically unstable.

CrNi
Crystal structure of CrNi
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About CrNi

CrNi is a metallic binary compound composed of chromium and nickel. As a metallic system, it exhibits characteristic conductive behavior and is frequently analyzed within the context of transition metal alloy phases.

Despite its simple composition, this compound is identified as being above the thermodynamic hull, suggesting it is an unstable phase under standard conditions. Its extensive presence in structural databases highlights its significance as a subject of ongoing theoretical investigation.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

Metallic / not reported

Energy Above Hull

0.050 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
3 DFT sources

Structures

58
5 databases, 14 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

0.54 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.115 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 CrNi, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——0.000.05020.042—
——0.000.08500.076—
——0.000.11540.107—
——0.000.15390.145—
R-3m (No. 166)trigonal0.000.15900.130—
R-3m (No. 166)trigonal0.000.1656-13.3628.26
——0.000.18360.175—
——0.000.19720.189—
——0.000.20290.194—
——0.000.21150.203—
——0.000.22610.217—
——0.000.24690.238—
Uses

Applications

Where CrNi is used.

Materials science researchAlloy phase stability studiesComputational structural analysis
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is CrNi?

CrNi is a metallic binary compound of chromium and nickel that is primarily studied for its structural properties despite being thermodynamically unstable.

More questions
What is CrNi used for?
CrNi is used in materials science research, alloy phase stability studies, and computational structural analysis.
What is the band gap of CrNi?
The reported DFT structures of CrNi 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 CrNi 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 CrNi thermodynamically stable?
CrNi has a lowest energy above hull of 0.050 eV/atom (metastable).
How many polymorphs of CrNi are known?
58 structures of CrNi are reported across 5 databases, spanning 14 distinct space groups.
What elements does CrNi contain?
CrNi contains Cr and Ni (2 elements).
Where does the data for CrNi come from?
CrNi data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a binary transition metal combination, CrNi represents a fundamental system in alloy research. While it lacks stable equilibrium counterparts in this specific classification, it serves as a critical reference point for understanding the phase stability and structural diversity of chromium-nickel interactions.

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)
  • 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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