Ge2O3

Ge2O3 is a semiconducting germanium oxide known for its wide variety of structural arrangements despite its metastable nature.

GeO
Crystal structure of Ge2O3 (cubic, Pm-3m (No. 221))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Ge2O3

Ge2O3 is a germanium oxide compound that exhibits semiconducting electronic properties. Its structural landscape is remarkably diverse, with numerous reported configurations across various databases, highlighting the complex coordination chemistry inherent to germanium-oxygen systems.

While this compound is often found above the thermodynamic hull, suggesting it may be metastable under standard conditions, its existence in multiple structural forms remains a subject of interest for researchers studying phase transitions and oxide synthesis. It serves as a valuable case study for understanding the stability limits of binary germanium oxides.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Ge2O3, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.24–2.80 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.036 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
4 DFT sources

Structures

59
5 databases, 14 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Ge2O3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.418 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 Ge2O3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——2.800.0360-1.665—
——2.740.0759-1.626—
——0.240.2299-1.472—
——0.920.2699-1.432—
——1.320.3126-1.389—
Pm-3m (No. 221)cubic0.780.3651-1.235—
——1.220.3770-1.325—
——1.330.3778-1.324—
——0.000.4184-1.283—
Pm-3m (No. 221)cubic0.680.4541-6.3056.16
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———4.45
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———7.10
Uses

Applications

Where Ge2O3 is used.

Semiconductor researchMaterials science studiesPhase transition investigation
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Ge2O3, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Ge2O3?

Ge2O3 is a semiconducting germanium oxide known for its wide variety of structural arrangements despite its metastable nature.

More questions
What is Ge2O3 used for?
Ge2O3 is used in semiconductor research, materials science studies, and phase transition investigation.
What is the band gap of Ge2O3?
Ge2O3 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.24–2.80 eV across 59 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Ge2O3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 2.80 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Ge2O3 thermodynamically stable?
Ge2O3 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.036 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of Ge2O3?
The reference structure of Ge2O3 is cubic symmetry, space group Pm-3m (No. 221).
How many polymorphs of Ge2O3 are known?
59 structures of Ge2O3 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 14 distinct space groups.
What elements does Ge2O3 contain?
Ge2O3 contains Ge and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Ge2O3 come from?
Ge2O3 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a binary germanium oxide, Ge2O3 represents a unique phase within the broader family of germanium-based materials. Unlike more common, highly stable oxides, this compound occupies a distinct position in the phase space, offering insights into the structural flexibility of germanium when oxygen stoichiometry deviates from the standard dioxide form.

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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