Mn2O3

bixbyite · manganese(III) oxide, manganese sesquioxide

Mn2O3 is a stable, semiconducting manganese oxide used primarily as a high-capacity anode material in electrochemical energy storage devices.

Crystal structure of Mn2O3 (orthorhombic, Pbca (No. 61))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About bixbyite

Mn2O3 is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting oxide that serves as a prominent member of the conversion oxide anode class. Its structural versatility is highlighted by a vast array of reported experimental configurations, making it a subject of significant interest for materials scientists investigating electrochemical reaction mechanisms.

As a conversion material, it plays a vital role in next-generation battery research where it facilitates high-capacity energy storage through reversible redox processes. Its electronic character and stable phase behavior under standard conditions position it as a key candidate for optimizing anode performance in lithium-ion and beyond-lithium systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

0.07–0.35 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

84
5 databases, 25 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Mn2O3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
aflow, jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Mn2O3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pbca (No. 61)orthorhombic0.070.0000-8.6484.72
Pbca (No. 61)orthorhombic0.000.0002-8.6474.72
Ia-3 (No. 206)cubic0.000.0068-8.6415.02
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic0.350.0503-8.5974.82
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic0.000.0586-8.5894.84
R-3c (No. 167)trigonal0.000.0643-8.5834.87
R-3 (No. 148)trigonal0.220.0764-8.5715.00
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.130.0769-8.5714.98
P41212 (No. 92)tetragonal0.000.0789-8.5694.44
Pna21 (No. 33)orthorhombic0.000.0882-8.5594.66
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic0.000.2273-8.4204.38
I213 (No. 199)cubic0.000.4217-8.2262.70
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Mn2O3.

Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where bixbyite is used.

Lithium-ion battery anodesCatalysisGas sensingPigment production
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is Mn2O3?

Mn2O3 is a stable, semiconducting manganese oxide used primarily as a high-capacity anode material in electrochemical energy storage devices.

More questions
What is Mn2O3 used for?
bixbyite (Mn2O3) is used in lithium-ion battery anodes, catalysis, gas sensing, and pigment production.
What is the band gap of Mn2O3?
bixbyite (Mn2O3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.07–0.35 eV across 84 reported structures.
Is Mn2O3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.35 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Mn2O3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — bixbyite (Mn2O3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Mn2O3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of bixbyite (Mn2O3) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pbca (No. 61).
What is the density of Mn2O3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of bixbyite (Mn2O3) is 4.72 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Mn2O3 are known?
84 structures of Mn2O3 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 25 distinct space groups.
How is Mn2O3 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for Mn2O3 include sol-gel.
What elements does Mn2O3 contain?
bixbyite (Mn2O3) contains Mn and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Mn2O3 come from?
Mn2O3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe, aflow.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the conversion oxide anodes class.

Within the family of conversion oxide anodes, Mn2O3 distinguishes itself through its specific oxidation state and structural stability compared to other manganese-based counterparts like MnO2. While it shares the conversion reaction mechanism with transition metal oxides such as Fe2O3 and Co3O4, its unique crystal lattice provides a different pathway for ion diffusion and structural evolution during cycling.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Conversion Oxide Anodes in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • aflow — Data from AFLOW. Cite: Curtarolo et al., Comp. Mater. Sci. 58, 218 (2012).

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