GeO2
Germanium dioxide · Germania
Germanium dioxide is a stable, wide-gap insulating oxide widely utilized for its superior optical properties in fiber-optic and glass technologies.
About Germanium dioxide
Germanium dioxide is a thermodynamically stable oxide that functions as a wide-gap insulator. Its robust structural nature allows it to exist in various forms, making it a critical material in high-performance optical applications. Due to its significant data richness, it remains a heavily studied compound for material scientists focusing on dielectric properties. The material is essential for modern telecommunications, where its unique refractive index and chemical stability are leveraged to create high-quality optical components. Its ability to form stable glasses makes it a cornerstone in the production of specialized lenses and fiber-optic cables that require precise light transmission characteristics.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Germanium dioxide, 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.
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 GeO2. 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 GeO2, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P42/mnm (No. 136) | tetragonal | 1.29 | 0.0000 | -1.778 | — |
| P42/mnm (No. 136) | tetragonal | 1.29 | 0.0000 | -1.778 | — |
| P42/mnm (No. 136) | tetragonal | 1.24 | 0.0000 | -6.996 | 6.20 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -1.891 | — |
| — | — | 1.91 | 0.0017 | -1.889 | — |
| — | — | 3.54 | 0.0028 | -1.888 | — |
| — | — | 1.91 | 0.0038 | -1.887 | — |
| — | — | 3.54 | 0.0042 | -1.886 | — |
| — | — | 3.91 | 0.0044 | -1.886 | — |
| — | — | 2.04 | 0.0049 | -1.886 | — |
| — | — | 3.46 | 0.0080 | -1.883 | — |
| P42/mnm (No. 136) | tetragonal | 1.37 | 0.0161 | -1.762 | — |
Applications
Where Germanium dioxide is used.
Patent Landscape
5 patents reference GeO2 or close compositional variants.
| Patent | Title | Assignee | Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8585797 | Method for preparing nanocrystalline germanium in GeO2 and freestanding germanium nanoparticles | — | — |
| 4817695 | Electrical contact material of Ag, SnO.sub.2, GeO.sub.2 and In.sub.2 O.sub. 3 | — | — |
| 10553423 | Atomic layer deposition of GeO2 | — | — |
| 9171715 | Atomic layer deposition of GeO2 | — | — |
| 10811249 | Atomic layer deposition of GeO2 | — | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Germanium dioxide, answered from cross-validated data.
What is GeO2?
Germanium dioxide is a stable, wide-gap insulating oxide widely utilized for its superior optical properties in fiber-optic and glass technologies.
What is GeO2 used for?
What is the band gap of GeO2?
Is GeO2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is GeO2 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of GeO2?
How many polymorphs of GeO2 are known?
What elements does GeO2 contain?
Where does the data for GeO2 come from?
How It Compares
As a primary oxide of germanium, this compound serves as the fundamental reference point for the material class, demonstrating exceptional thermodynamic stability compared to other germanium-based compounds.
Data sources & attribution
- 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)
- 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)
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