GeF4
Germanium tetrafluoride · Tetrafluorogermane
Germanium tetrafluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic gas used primarily as a chemical reagent and precursor for material deposition.
About Germanium tetrafluoride
Germanium tetrafluoride is a thermodynamically stable inorganic compound characterized by its wide-gap insulating electronic nature. Its chemical structure allows it to serve as a vital precursor in the synthesis of various germanium-containing materials and as a reagent in industrial processes.
Due to its distinct chemical properties, this compound is frequently employed in specialized manufacturing sectors. It is highly valued for its role in chemical vapor deposition and other surface modification techniques where precise control over fluorination is required.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Germanium tetrafluoride, aggregated across 3 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.
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.
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.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of GeF4. 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.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for GeF4, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-43m (No. 217) | cubic | 5.52 | 0.0000 | -5.144 | 3.29 |
| I-43m (No. 217) | cubic | 5.08 | 0.0000 | -2.355 | — |
| — | — | 5.02 | 0.0000 | -2.579 | — |
| — | — | 5.24 | 0.0147 | -2.564 | — |
| — | — | 5.21 | 0.0328 | -2.546 | — |
| — | — | 4.04 | 0.0415 | -2.537 | — |
| — | — | 3.57 | 0.0663 | -2.512 | — |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.97 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.73 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.44 |
| P1 (No. 1) | triclinic | — | — | — | 4.09 |
| I-43m (No. 217) | cubic | — | — | — | 2.77 |
Applications
Where Germanium tetrafluoride is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Germanium tetrafluoride, answered from cross-validated data.
What is GeF4?
Germanium tetrafluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic gas used primarily as a chemical reagent and precursor for material deposition.
What is GeF4 used for?
What is the band gap of GeF4?
Is GeF4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is GeF4 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of GeF4?
What is the density of GeF4?
How many polymorphs of GeF4 are known?
What elements does GeF4 contain?
Where does the data for GeF4 come from?
How It Compares
As a distinct inorganic fluoride, this compound represents a key member of the germanium-halide family, functioning as a stable building block for advanced material synthesis and specialized chemical applications.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (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)
- 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)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
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