MgAl2O4
Spinel · Magnesium aluminate, Magnesium aluminum oxide
Spinel is a naturally occurring mineral that serves as the namesake for a broader group of oxide minerals sharing the same crystal structure. Due to its exceptional hardness and resistance to heat, it is widely utilized in industrial settings as a refractory material and as a durable optical component.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Spinel, aggregated across 4 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.
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.
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.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for MgAl2O4, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fd-3m (No. 227) | cubic | 5.11 | 0.0000 | -7.500 | 3.58 |
| R3m (No. 160) | trigonal | 4.57 | 0.0074 | -7.493 | 3.59 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | 4.46 | 0.0077 | -7.493 | 3.47 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | 3.81 | 0.0091 | -7.491 | 3.59 |
| P3m1 (No. 156) | trigonal | 4.59 | 0.0100 | -7.491 | 3.47 |
| P3m1 (No. 156) | trigonal | 4.12 | 0.0132 | -7.487 | 3.59 |
| R3m (No. 160) | trigonal | 4.20 | 0.0165 | -7.484 | 3.47 |
| R3m (No. 160) | trigonal | 4.28 | 0.0206 | -7.480 | 3.47 |
| P3m1 (No. 156) | trigonal | 4.25 | 0.0270 | -7.473 | 3.47 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | 4.38 | 0.0271 | -7.473 | 3.47 |
| Cm (No. 8) | monoclinic | 2.85 | 0.0315 | -7.469 | 3.47 |
| R3m (No. 160) | trigonal | 4.03 | 0.0332 | -7.467 | 3.48 |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting MgAl2O4.
Applications
Where Spinel is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Spinel, answered from cross-validated data.
What is MgAl2O4?
Spinel is a naturally occurring mineral that serves as the namesake for a broader group of oxide minerals sharing the same crystal structure. Due to its exceptional hardness and resistance to heat, it is widely utilized in industrial settings as a refractory material and as a durable optical component.
What is MgAl2O4 used for?
What is the band gap of MgAl2O4?
Is MgAl2O4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is MgAl2O4 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of MgAl2O4?
What is the density of MgAl2O4?
How many polymorphs of MgAl2O4 are known?
How is MgAl2O4 synthesized?
What elements does MgAl2O4 contain?
Where does the data for MgAl2O4 come from?
Related Compounds
Other Spinel Oxide Catalysts in the database.
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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