LiCuPO4

LiCuPO4 is a metastable, semiconducting transition-metal phosphate used in materials science research for its potential electrochemical properties.

Crystal structure of LiCuPO4 (monoclinic, P21/c (No. 14))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About LiCuPO4

LiCuPO4 is a semiconducting transition-metal phosphate that exists in a metastable state. Its unique structural arrangement, supported by a significant number of reported entries across databases, highlights its complexity and interest within the broader family of phosphate-based materials. This compound is primarily studied for its potential utility in electrochemical systems where transition-metal redox activity is essential. Its semiconducting nature makes it a subject of investigation for researchers looking to expand the library of cathode materials beyond traditional chemistries.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for LiCuPO4, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.02–0.57 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.039 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
2 DFT sources

Structures

72
3 databases, 20 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for LiCuPO4, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.550.0389-6.6563.80
I-4 (No. 82)tetragonal0.170.0409-6.6543.25
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.000.0466-6.6483.26
R3 (No. 146)trigonal0.090.0469-6.6483.24
Pc (No. 7)monoclinic0.000.0480-6.6473.22
Pca21 (No. 29)orthorhombic0.000.0493-6.6463.23
Pna21 (No. 33)orthorhombic0.000.0517-6.6433.23
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.000.0518-6.6433.80
Fdd2 (No. 43)orthorhombic0.570.0537-6.6413.71
Cc (No. 9)monoclinic0.000.0541-6.6413.17
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic0.070.0548-6.6402.82
Pna21 (No. 33)orthorhombic0.000.0576-6.6373.14
Uses

Applications

Where LiCuPO4 is used.

Electrochemical energy storage researchCathode material developmentSolid-state ionics
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about LiCuPO4, answered from cross-validated data.

What is LiCuPO4?

LiCuPO4 is a metastable, semiconducting transition-metal phosphate used in materials science research for its potential electrochemical properties.

More questions
What is LiCuPO4 used for?
LiCuPO4 is used in electrochemical energy storage research, cathode material development, and solid-state ionics.
What is the band gap of LiCuPO4?
LiCuPO4 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.02–0.57 eV across 72 reported structures.
Is LiCuPO4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.57 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is LiCuPO4 thermodynamically stable?
LiCuPO4 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.039 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of LiCuPO4?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of LiCuPO4 is monoclinic symmetry, space group P21/c (No. 14).
What is the density of LiCuPO4?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of LiCuPO4 is 3.80 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of LiCuPO4 are known?
72 structures of LiCuPO4 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 20 distinct space groups.
What elements does LiCuPO4 contain?
LiCuPO4 contains Cu, Li, O, and P (4 elements).
Where does the data for LiCuPO4 come from?
LiCuPO4 data is cross-referenced from materials_project.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the transition-metal phosphates class.

While LiCuPO4 shares the phosphate framework common to well-known battery materials like LiFePO4 and LiMnPO4, it occupies a distinct niche due to its metastable nature. Unlike the highly stable and widely commercialized LiFePO4, LiCuPO4 presents unique synthetic challenges and electronic properties that differentiate it from the more conventional olivine-structured phosphates.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Transition-Metal Phosphates in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).

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