MgAl2
MgAl2 has a DFT band gap of 0.32 eV across 38 reported structures in 11 space groups; its reference structure is tetragonal (I41/amd (No. 141)). Cross-validated across 3 computational databases.
AlMg
At a glance
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for MgAl2, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
0.32 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: metal
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
0.006 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
Stable
3 DFT sources
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
38
3 databases, 11 space groups
Validation
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of MgAl2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
0.88 / 1.00
Trust tier: high
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
0.030 eV
EAH spread across sources
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Mixed (most: I41/amd (No. 141))
Crystallography
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for MgAl2, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P63/mmc (No. 194) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -3.052 | 2.36 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0056 | -0.008 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0060 | -0.008 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0063 | -0.007 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0242 | 0.010 | — |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0299 | -0.007 | — |
| I41/amd (No. 141) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.0416 | -3.011 | 2.35 |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | 0.00 | 0.0625 | -2.990 | 2.42 |
| P42/mnm (No. 136) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.5722 | 0.536 | — |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.6755 | 0.662 | — |
| P42/mnm (No. 136) | tetragonal | 0.00 | 0.6808 | -2.372 | 1.66 |
| — | — | 0.32 | 1.4846 | 1.471 | — |
Intellectual Property
Patent Landscape
3 patents reference MgAl2 or close compositional variants.
| Patent | Title | Assignee | Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4189326 | Nonstoichiometric MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.3 for casting advanced superalloy materials | — | — |
| 6031694 | Magnetic head with protective film comprising amorphous CaMgSi.sub.2 b. O.su6, Mg.sub.2 SiO.sub.4 and/or MgAl. | — | — |
| 5492871 | Superstoichiometric MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 spinel and use thereof, and process for the synthesis thereof | — | — |
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about MgAl2, answered from cross-validated data.
What is the band gap of MgAl2?
MgAl2 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.32 eV across 38 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
More questions
Is MgAl2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.32 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is MgAl2 thermodynamically stable?
MgAl2 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.006 eV/atom (stable).
What is the crystal structure of MgAl2?
The reference structure of MgAl2 is tetragonal symmetry, space group I41/amd (No. 141).
What is the density of MgAl2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of MgAl2 is 2.35 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of MgAl2 are known?
38 structures of MgAl2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 11 distinct space groups.
What elements does MgAl2 contain?
MgAl2 contains Al and Mg (2 elements).
Where does the data for MgAl2 come from?
MgAl2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- 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)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
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