Lu2O3

Lutetium oxide · Lutetia

Lutetium oxide is a stable, wide-gap insulating ceramic used extensively in high-performance optical and dielectric technologies.

LuO
Crystal structure of Lu2O3 (cubic, Ia-3 (No. 206))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Lutetium oxide

Lutetium oxide is a thermodynamically stable ceramic material composed of lutetium and oxygen. As a wide-gap insulator, it exhibits excellent chemical and thermal robustness, making it a reliable candidate for demanding environments where electronic and optical integrity are paramount.

This compound is highly valued for its high density and refractive index, which are critical for specialized optical components. Its stability on the convex hull ensures it remains a robust choice for thin-film applications and as a precursor in the synthesis of complex functional ceramics.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

4.02–4.28 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

30
3 databases, 10 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Lu2O3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Ia-3 (No. 206)cubic4.020.0000-8.9019.78
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic4.280.0468-8.85410.58
P-3m1 (No. 164)trigonal4.090.0842-8.81710.73
P4mm (No. 99)Tetragonal10.15
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic10.24
R3m (No. 160)Trigonal9.02
R3m (No. 160)Trigonal9.87
R3m (No. 160)Trigonal5.19
P-3m1 (No. 164)
Ia-3 (No. 206)
C2 (No. 5)Monoclinic10.12
R32 (No. 155)Trigonal10.61
Uses

Applications

Where Lutetium oxide is used.

Optical coatingsScintillator materialsHigh-k dielectric layersLaser host materials
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Lutetium oxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Lu2O3?

Lutetium oxide is a stable, wide-gap insulating ceramic used extensively in high-performance optical and dielectric technologies.

More questions
What is Lu2O3 used for?
Lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) is used in optical coatings, scintillator materials, high-k dielectric layers, and laser host materials.
What is the band gap of Lu2O3?
Lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 4.02–4.28 eV across 30 reported structures.
Is Lu2O3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 4.28 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is Lu2O3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Lu2O3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) is cubic symmetry, space group Ia-3 (No. 206).
What is the density of Lu2O3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) is 9.78 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Lu2O3 are known?
30 structures of Lu2O3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 10 distinct space groups.
What elements does Lu2O3 contain?
Lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) contains Lu and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Lu2O3 come from?
Lu2O3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a rare-earth sesquioxide, this material serves as a foundational example of high-stability insulating oxides. It is widely recognized for its superior structural and electronic properties compared to other lanthanide oxides, often serving as a benchmark for performance in high-temperature and radiation-hardened applications.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

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