HgO2

HgO2 is a semiconducting mercury oxide compound characterized by its structural complexity and metastable nature.

HgO
Crystal structure of HgO2 (monoclinic, C2/m (No. 12))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About HgO2

HgO2 is a mercury-based oxide that exhibits semiconducting electronic behavior. As a compound with a high degree of structural diversity, it has been the subject of extensive investigation across multiple materials databases, reflecting its complex chemical landscape. Due to its position relative to the thermodynamic ground state, this material is generally considered metastable. Its unique composition makes it a compelling subject for researchers studying the interplay between heavy metal cations and oxygen coordination in non-equilibrium phases.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for HgO2, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.02–0.37 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.172 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Unstable
3 DFT sources

Structures

218
5 databases, 29 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of HgO2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.25 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.187 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 HgO2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——0.370.1724-0.134—
——0.370.1725-0.134—
Pbca (No. 61)orthorhombic0.320.24100.074—
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.140.25630.089—
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.140.25770.090—
Pbca (No. 61)orthorhombic0.310.3593-3.4668.05
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.020.3650-3.4607.93
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.170.3817-3.4437.98
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.320.3918-3.4338.08
——0.000.60570.299—
——0.000.93030.623—
——0.001.20210.895—
Uses

Applications

Where HgO2 is used.

Fundamental materials researchHigh-pressure synthesis studiesSolid-state chemistry modeling
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HgO2, answered from cross-validated data.

What is HgO2?

HgO2 is a semiconducting mercury oxide compound characterized by its structural complexity and metastable nature.

More questions
What is HgO2 used for?
HgO2 is used in fundamental materials research, high-pressure synthesis studies, and solid-state chemistry modeling.
What is the band gap of HgO2?
HgO2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.02–0.37 eV across 218 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is HgO2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.37 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is HgO2 thermodynamically stable?
HgO2 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.172 eV/atom (unstable).
What is the crystal structure of HgO2?
The reference structure of HgO2 is monoclinic symmetry, space group C2/m (No. 12).
How many polymorphs of HgO2 are known?
218 structures of HgO2 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 29 distinct space groups.
What elements does HgO2 contain?
HgO2 contains Hg and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for HgO2 come from?
HgO2 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a specialized mercury oxide, HgO2 occupies a distinct niche in materials science, primarily serving as a model system for exploring high-pressure phases and metastable oxide configurations where standard stoichiometry is often challenged.

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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