LuF3

Lutetium trifluoride · Lutetium(III) fluoride

Lutetium trifluoride is a stable, insulating fluoride compound used primarily in optical and laser technologies.

FLu
Crystal structure of LuF3 (trigonal, P-3c1 (No. 165))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Lutetium trifluoride

Lutetium trifluoride is a highly stable inorganic compound that functions as a wide-gap insulator. Its robust thermodynamic profile makes it a reliable candidate for high-performance applications where chemical inertness and electronic insulation are required.

Because of its structural integrity and optical properties, this material is frequently utilized in the development of sophisticated optical components. It serves as a critical building block in technologies that demand precise control over light transmission and electronic isolation.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Lutetium trifluoride, aggregated across 2 databases.

Band Gap

6.22–7.69 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
1 DFT source

Structures

39
2 databases, 9 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for LuF3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P-3c1 (No. 165)trigonal7.690.0000-16.3149.13
P-3m1 (No. 164)trigonal7.480.0027-16.3117.26
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic6.220.3909-15.9239.37
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic7.25
Cmcm (No. 63)Orthorhombic9.35
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic9.41
P-3m1 (No. 164)Trigonal6.93
P-3m1 (No. 164)Trigonal7.21
C2/c (No. 15)Monoclinic6.39
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic9.65
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic8.18
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic9.61
Uses

Applications

Where Lutetium trifluoride is used.

Optical coatingsLaser host materialsScintillation detectorsFluoride glass production
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is LuF3?

Lutetium trifluoride is a stable, insulating fluoride compound used primarily in optical and laser technologies.

More questions
What is LuF3 used for?
Lutetium trifluoride (LuF3) is used in optical coatings, laser host materials, scintillation detectors, and fluoride glass production.
What is the band gap of LuF3?
Lutetium trifluoride (LuF3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 6.22–7.69 eV across 39 reported structures.
Is LuF3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 7.69 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is LuF3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Lutetium trifluoride (LuF3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of LuF3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Lutetium trifluoride (LuF3) is trigonal symmetry, space group P-3c1 (No. 165).
What is the density of LuF3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Lutetium trifluoride (LuF3) is 9.13 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of LuF3 are known?
39 structures of LuF3 are reported across 2 databases, spanning 9 distinct space groups.
What elements does LuF3 contain?
Lutetium trifluoride (LuF3) contains F and Lu (2 elements).
Where does the data for LuF3 come from?
LuF3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a stable fluoride, this compound represents a key member of the rare-earth trifluoride family, serving as a benchmark for structural reliability and insulating performance within its chemical class.

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

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