Mg2Si

Magnesium silicide · Magnesium silicide

Magnesium silicide is a stable, semiconducting inorganic compound used primarily in the development of advanced battery anode technologies.

Crystal structure of Mg2Si (cubic, Fm-3m (No. 225))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Magnesium silicide

Magnesium silicide is a thermodynamically stable compound that functions as a semiconductor. Its structural integrity and electronic properties make it a subject of significant interest within the field of advanced energy storage materials.

As a key member of the silicon anode material class, this compound is studied for its ability to facilitate lithium or magnesium ion transport. Its presence on the convex hull underscores its robustness, positioning it as a reliable candidate for high-performance electrochemical applications.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Magnesium silicide, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

0.22 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

94
4 databases, 20 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Mg2Si, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic0.220.0000-3.0042.00
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.000.0876-2.9162.18
P4/nmm (No. 129)tetragonal0.000.0881-2.9162.11
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.000.1272-2.8772.13
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.000.1308-2.8732.05
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.000.1368-2.8672.13
P21 (No. 4)monoclinic0.000.1422-2.8622.17
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.000.1437-2.8602.09
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.000.1442-2.8602.15
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.000.1524-2.8522.25
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.000.1540-2.8502.25
P63/mmc (No. 194)hexagonal0.000.1600-2.8442.26
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Mg2Si.

Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where Magnesium silicide is used.

Lithium-ion battery anodesMagnesium-ion battery researchSemiconductor device fabrication
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Magnesium silicide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Mg2Si?

Magnesium silicide is a stable, semiconducting inorganic compound used primarily in the development of advanced battery anode technologies.

More questions
What is Mg2Si used for?
Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) is used in lithium-ion battery anodes, magnesium-ion battery research, and semiconductor device fabrication.
What is the band gap of Mg2Si?
Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.22 eV across 94 reported structures.
Is Mg2Si a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.22 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Mg2Si thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Mg2Si?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) is cubic symmetry, space group Fm-3m (No. 225).
What is the density of Mg2Si?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) is 2.00 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Mg2Si are known?
94 structures of Mg2Si are reported across 4 databases, spanning 20 distinct space groups.
How is Mg2Si synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for Mg2Si include sol-gel.
What elements does Mg2Si contain?
Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) contains Mg and Si (2 elements).
Where does the data for Mg2Si come from?
Mg2Si data is cross-referenced from materials_project.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the silicon anode materials class.

Compared to other silicon-based compounds like FeSi or the elemental semiconductor Si, Mg2Si offers a distinct electronic profile that balances stability with electrochemical reactivity. While materials like MoSi2 are often utilized for their high-temperature structural properties, Mg2Si is primarily distinguished by its role in battery research and its specific semiconducting behavior.

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Related Compounds

Other Silicon Anode Materials 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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