FeF4

FeF4 is a semiconducting iron fluoride compound that exists in a metastable state, serving as a significant subject for structural research in inorganic chemistry.

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Crystal structure of FeF4 (tetragonal, I4/mcm (No. 140))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About FeF4

FeF4 is a binary fluoride compound composed of iron and fluorine. As a semiconducting material, it represents a specialized chemical system that has been the subject of extensive structural investigation across various crystallographic databases.

Due to its position above the thermodynamic hull, this compound is considered metastable, making it a focus for researchers studying high-energy pathways and phase stabilization. Its electronic properties and structural complexity provide valuable insights into the behavior of transition metal fluorides.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for FeF4, aggregated across 2 databases.

Band Gap

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

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
2 DFT sources

Structures

45
2 databases, 13 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of FeF4. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.20 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.201 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

—
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for FeF4, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——0.580.0000-2.135—
——0.000.0101-2.125—
——0.000.0246-2.110—
I4/mcm (No. 140)tetragonal1.650.2009-5.1822.92
P2 (No. 3)monoclinic———3.70
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.83
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.76
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———2.78
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.26
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———3.11
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———3.92
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———3.94
Uses

Applications

Where FeF4 is used.

Fundamental materials science researchCrystallographic studiesSolid-state chemistry modeling
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about FeF4, answered from cross-validated data.

What is FeF4?

FeF4 is a semiconducting iron fluoride compound that exists in a metastable state, serving as a significant subject for structural research in inorganic chemistry.

More questions
What is FeF4 used for?
FeF4 is used in fundamental materials science research, crystallographic studies, and solid-state chemistry modeling.
What is the band gap of FeF4?
FeF4 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.58 eV across 45 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is FeF4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.58 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is FeF4 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — FeF4 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of FeF4?
The reference structure of FeF4 is tetragonal symmetry, space group I4/mcm (No. 140).
What is the density of FeF4?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of FeF4 is 2.92 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of FeF4 are known?
45 structures of FeF4 are reported across 2 databases, spanning 13 distinct space groups.
What elements does FeF4 contain?
FeF4 contains F and Fe (2 elements).
Where does the data for FeF4 come from?
FeF4 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique transition metal fluoride, FeF4 serves as an important case study for understanding the structural diversity of iron-based halides, particularly in instances where thermodynamic stability is limited.

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)
  • 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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