Cu
Copper · Cuprum
Copper is a ductile and malleable metallic element known for its exceptional ability to conduct electricity and heat. It is widely utilized across various industries due to its durability, corrosion resistance, and role as a fundamental component in modern infrastructure.
Cu
Overview
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Copper, aggregated across 5 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.
0.000 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.
On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
63
5 databases, 8 space groups
Validation
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Cu. 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: high
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.
3
jarvis, materials_project, nomad
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 Cu, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -10.847 | 9.22 |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0077 | -10.839 | 9.21 |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0123 | -10.834 | 9.23 |
| Im-3m (No. 229) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.0331 | -10.814 | 9.21 |
| I4/mmm (No. 139) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.0356 | -10.811 | 9.20 |
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.1558 | -10.691 | 8.80 |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.1803 | -10.666 | 4.75 |
| P2/m (No. 10) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 1.9829 | -8.864 | 0.19 |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | — | — | — | — | — |
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | Hexagonal | — | — | — | 9.26 |
| I4/mmm (No. 139) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | — | — | — | — | — |
Synthesis
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Cu.
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses
Applications
Where Copper is used.
Electrical wiringPlumbing systemsTelecommunications equipmentHeat exchangersArchitecture and roofingAlloy production
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Copper, answered from cross-validated data.
What is Cu?
Copper is a ductile and malleable metallic element known for its exceptional ability to conduct electricity and heat. It is widely utilized across various industries due to its durability, corrosion resistance, and role as a fundamental component in modern infrastructure.
More questions
What is Cu used for?
Copper (Cu) is used in electrical wiring, plumbing systems, telecommunications equipment, heat exchangers, and architecture and roofing.
What is the band gap of Cu?
Copper (Cu) is computed to be metallic (no band gap) in the reported DFT structures.
Is Cu a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Computed band structures report no gap, so it is metallic.
Is Cu thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Copper (Cu) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Cu?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Copper (Cu) is cubic symmetry, space group Fm-3m (No. 225).
What is the density of Cu?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Copper (Cu) is 9.22 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Cu are known?
63 structures of Cu are reported across 5 databases, spanning 8 distinct space groups.
How is Cu synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for Cu include sol-gel (4 procedures documented).
What elements does Cu contain?
Copper (Cu) contains Cu (1 element).
Where does the data for Cu come from?
Cu data is cross-referenced from materials_project, nomad, mpaloe, jarvis.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- nomad — Data from NOMAD. Cite: Draxl & Scheffler, J. Phys. Mater. 2, 036001 (2019).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
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