Mg2Mo3O8

Mg2Mo3O8 is a metastable, semiconducting magnesium molybdenum oxide used primarily in fundamental materials research.

MgMoO
Crystal structure of Mg2Mo3O8 (hexagonal, P63mc (No. 186))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Mg2Mo3O8

Mg2Mo3O8 is a complex oxide composed of magnesium, molybdenum, and oxygen. As a semiconducting material, it represents a unique intersection of transition metal chemistry and structural complexity, drawing significant interest for its electronic properties.

Despite its metastable nature, the compound has been characterized across multiple structural configurations. Its ability to adopt various forms makes it a subject of ongoing investigation for researchers looking to manipulate electronic behavior through structural tuning.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Mg2Mo3O8, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

1.28–1.88 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

14
5 databases, 2 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Mg2Mo3O8. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.81 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.046 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 Mg2Mo3O8, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——1.880.0000-2.456—
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal1.710.0000-2.462—
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal1.710.0000-2.462—
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal1.640.0463-8.0875.20
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic1.280.1260-8.0074.79
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.000.1583-2.303—
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic0.000.1609-2.301—
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———5.68
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———5.25
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal———5.41
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal———5.43
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal———4.76
Uses

Applications

Where Mg2Mo3O8 is used.

Fundamental materials researchSolid-state chemistry studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Mg2Mo3O8, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Mg2Mo3O8?

Mg2Mo3O8 is a metastable, semiconducting magnesium molybdenum oxide used primarily in fundamental materials research.

More questions
What is Mg2Mo3O8 used for?
Mg2Mo3O8 is used in fundamental materials research and solid-state chemistry studies.
What is the band gap of Mg2Mo3O8?
Mg2Mo3O8 has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.28–1.88 eV across 14 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is Mg2Mo3O8 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.88 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is Mg2Mo3O8 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Mg2Mo3O8 sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of Mg2Mo3O8?
The reference structure of Mg2Mo3O8 is hexagonal symmetry, space group P63mc (No. 186).
How many polymorphs of Mg2Mo3O8 are known?
14 structures of Mg2Mo3O8 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 2 distinct space groups.
What elements does Mg2Mo3O8 contain?
Mg2Mo3O8 contains Mg, Mo, and O (3 elements).
Where does the data for Mg2Mo3O8 come from?
Mg2Mo3O8 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, jarvis, materials_project, mpaloe, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a distinct oxide within the broader landscape of molybdenum-based materials, Mg2Mo3O8 serves as a specialized example of metastable semiconducting compounds. Its specific stoichiometry and electronic profile distinguish it from more common, highly stable binary oxides, positioning it as a niche candidate for fundamental studies in solid-state chemistry.

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.
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)

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