MgSn2O5
MgSn2O5 is a metastable semiconducting oxide utilized in materials science research for its potential role in transparent electronic components.
About MgSn2O5
MgSn2O5 is a complex oxide composed of magnesium, tin, and oxygen. As a semiconducting material, it represents a specialized entry within the broader family of transparent conducting oxides, characterized by its metastable nature and structural diversity across multiple databases.
This compound is of significant interest to materials researchers exploring novel electronic thin films. Its unique electronic character and composition make it a candidate for investigation in optoelectronic devices where transparency and controlled charge carrier behavior are essential requirements.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for MgSn2O5, 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.
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.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of MgSn2O5. 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.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for MgSn2O5, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | 1.78 | 0.0315 | -6.618 | 5.24 |
| — | — | 2.11 | 0.0325 | -2.178 | — |
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | 1.95 | 0.0651 | -2.040 | — |
| P21/m (No. 11) | monoclinic | 1.60 | 0.1251 | -1.980 | — |
| P21/m (No. 11) | monoclinic | 1.60 | 0.1252 | -1.980 | — |
| — | — | 1.60 | 0.2048 | -2.006 | — |
| P2/c (No. 13) | monoclinic | 0.56 | 0.3117 | -6.337 | 5.03 |
| Pmmn (No. 59) | orthorhombic | 0.49 | 0.3134 | -6.336 | 5.03 |
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | — | — | — | 5.24 |
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | — | — | — | 5.42 |
| Cmcm (No. 63) | orthorhombic | — | — | — | 5.63 |
Applications
Where MgSn2O5 is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about MgSn2O5, answered from cross-validated data.
What is MgSn2O5?
MgSn2O5 is a metastable semiconducting oxide utilized in materials science research for its potential role in transparent electronic components.
What is MgSn2O5 used for?
What is the band gap of MgSn2O5?
Is MgSn2O5 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is MgSn2O5 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of MgSn2O5?
What is the density of MgSn2O5?
How many polymorphs of MgSn2O5 are known?
What elements does MgSn2O5 contain?
Where does the data for MgSn2O5 come from?
How It Compares
Within the transparent conducting oxides class.
Within the diverse group of transparent conducting oxides, MgSn2O5 occupies a niche position compared to more established materials like BaSnO3 or ZnO. While many of its siblings are widely utilized for their robust stability and high conductivity, MgSn2O5 is distinguished by its metastable state, offering a different structural landscape for researchers to explore compared to the more conventional spinel or perovskite architectures found in the rest of the class.
Related Compounds
Other Transparent Conducting Oxides in the database.
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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