MnSe

manganese selenide · manganese(II) selenide

Manganese selenide is a stable, semimetallic compound formed from manganese and selenium that is widely studied for its diverse structural phases.

MnSe
Crystal structure of MnSe (cubic, Fm-3m (No. 225))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About manganese selenide

Manganese selenide is a thermodynamically stable binary compound composed of manganese and selenium. Its electronic character is defined as near-zero-gap, placing it in the semimetallic regime, which makes it a subject of significant interest for fundamental condensed matter research.

With a high degree of structural diversity reported across multiple databases, this material serves as a versatile platform for studying phase behavior. Its stability on the convex hull suggests it is a robust candidate for experimental synthesis and investigation in various solid-state applications.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for manganese selenide, aggregated across 6 databases.

Band Gap

0.05 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: metal

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
4 DFT sources

Structures

190
6 databases, 27 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

0.81 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.048 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: Fm-3m (No. 225))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal0.000.0000-15.4474.28
F-43m (No. 216)cubic0.050.0035-15.4444.28
P63/mmc (No. 194)hexagonal0.000.0117-15.4365.77
——0.000.0145-0.363—
——0.000.0194-0.358—
——0.000.0221-0.356—
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic0.000.0221-15.4255.44
——0.000.0227-0.355—
P4/nmm (No. 129)tetragonal0.000.0237-15.4245.45
——0.000.0285-0.349—
——0.000.0303-0.347—
——0.000.0307-0.347—
Uses

Applications

Where manganese selenide is used.

semiconductor researchspintronics developmentoptoelectronic device studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about manganese selenide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is MnSe?

Manganese selenide is a stable, semimetallic compound formed from manganese and selenium that is widely studied for its diverse structural phases.

More questions
What is MnSe used for?
manganese selenide (MnSe) is used in semiconductor research, spintronics development, and optoelectronic device studies.
What is the band gap of MnSe?
manganese selenide (MnSe) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.05 eV across 190 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is MnSe a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a near-zero band gap ((semi)metallic). Standard DFT underestimates gaps, so the real material may be a semiconductor.
Is MnSe thermodynamically stable?
Yes — manganese selenide (MnSe) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of MnSe?
The reference structure of manganese selenide (MnSe) is cubic symmetry, space group Fm-3m (No. 225).
What is the density of MnSe?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of manganese selenide (MnSe) is 5.44 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of MnSe are known?
190 structures of MnSe are reported across 6 databases, spanning 27 distinct space groups.
What elements does MnSe contain?
manganese selenide (MnSe) contains Mn and Se (2 elements).
Where does the data for MnSe come from?
MnSe data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a stable semimetallic binary compound, manganese selenide represents a fundamental building block in the study of transition metal chalcogenides. It occupies a distinct position in the landscape of manganese-based semiconductors, serving as a baseline for understanding how electronic properties evolve in these systems.

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)

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