Mn3P

Mn3P is a metastable metallic compound consisting of manganese and phosphorus that is primarily studied for its structural properties in materials science.

MnP
Crystal structure of Mn3P (tetragonal, I-4 (No. 82))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Mn3P

Mn3P is a metallic phosphide compound composed of manganese and phosphorus. As a metastable material, it represents a unique phase within the binary manganese-phosphorus system, offering distinct structural arrangements that have been documented across multiple databases. Its metallic nature suggests potential utility in electronic or magnetic applications where conductive behavior is required. The compound is primarily of interest in fundamental materials science, where researchers investigate its formation pathways and stability limits to better understand the phase space of transition metal phosphides. Its existence as a metastable phase makes it a compelling subject for studies on phase transformation and synthesis control.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Mn3P, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

Metallic / not reported

Energy Above Hull

0.026 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
3 DFT sources

Structures

44
5 databases, 13 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of Mn3P. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Mn3P, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
I-4 (No. 82)tetragonal0.000.0265-8.5846.27
Cmcm (No. 63)Orthorhombic5.90
I-4 (No. 82)Tetragonal6.14
I-4 (No. 82)Tetragonal7.31
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic4.93
I-4 (No. 82)Tetragonal6.10
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic3.88
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic4.11
Cmcm (No. 63)Orthorhombic3.88
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic6.47
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic6.61
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic6.68
Uses

Applications

Where Mn3P is used.

Materials science researchFundamental phase stability studiesCatalysis research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Mn3P, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Mn3P?

Mn3P is a metastable metallic compound consisting of manganese and phosphorus that is primarily studied for its structural properties in materials science.

More questions
What is Mn3P used for?
Mn3P is used in materials science research, fundamental phase stability studies, and catalysis research.
What is the band gap of Mn3P?
Mn3P is computed to be metallic (no band gap) in the reported DFT structures.
Is Mn3P a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Computed band structures report no gap, so it is metallic.
Is Mn3P thermodynamically stable?
Mn3P has a lowest energy above hull of 0.026 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of Mn3P?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Mn3P is tetragonal symmetry, space group I-4 (No. 82).
What is the density of Mn3P?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Mn3P is 6.27 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Mn3P are known?
44 structures of Mn3P are reported across 5 databases, spanning 13 distinct space groups.
What elements does Mn3P contain?
Mn3P contains Mn and P (2 elements).
Where does the data for Mn3P come from?
Mn3P data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a member of the binary manganese phosphide family, Mn3P occupies a specific niche defined by its metastable nature. Unlike more thermodynamically stable phases in the system, Mn3P requires precise synthesis conditions to stabilize, making it a critical focus for researchers studying phase competition and the structural diversity of metal-rich phosphides.

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

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