MoF6

Molybdenum hexafluoride · Molybdenum(VI) fluoride

Molybdenum hexafluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound primarily utilized as a chemical precursor for molybdenum deposition.

FMo
Crystal structure of MoF6 (orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Molybdenum hexafluoride

Molybdenum hexafluoride is a binary fluoride compound that exists as a wide-band-gap insulator. Its electronic structure and thermodynamic stability make it a significant subject of study within the field of inorganic chemistry, with numerous structural configurations documented across scientific databases. The compound is valued for its specific chemical reactivity, which facilitates its role as a specialized reagent. It is frequently utilized in industrial settings where precise control over molybdenum deposition is required for high-performance material synthesis.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Molybdenum hexafluoride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

3.88–4.15 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: insulator

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

22
3 databases, 8 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of MoF6. 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
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: Pnma (No. 62))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for MoF6, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic4.170.0000-5.7793.56
Im-3m (No. 229)cubic4.150.0000-2.546—
——3.880.0000-2.696—
——3.970.0099-2.686—
——3.930.0189-2.677—
Im-3m (No. 229)cubic4.240.0304-5.7482.74
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———3.52
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———3.50
I432 (No. 211)cubic———2.90
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.82
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic———3.04
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———6.10
Uses

Applications

Where Molybdenum hexafluoride is used.

Chemical vapor depositionMetal platingFluorinating agent
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

1 patent reference MoF6 or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
12122685Method for preparing MoF6 based on plasma activation of SF6 ——
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Molybdenum hexafluoride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is MoF6?

Molybdenum hexafluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound primarily utilized as a chemical precursor for molybdenum deposition.

More questions
What is MoF6 used for?
Molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF6) is used in chemical vapor deposition, metal plating, and fluorinating agent.
What is the band gap of MoF6?
Molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF6) has a DFT-computed band gap of 3.88–4.15 eV across 22 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is MoF6 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a wide band gap of up to 4.15 eV (an insulator or wide-band-gap material).
Is MoF6 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF6) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of MoF6?
The reference structure of Molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF6) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pnma (No. 62).
What is the density of MoF6?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF6) is 3.56 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of MoF6 are known?
22 structures of MoF6 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 8 distinct space groups.
What elements does MoF6 contain?
Molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF6) contains F and Mo (2 elements).
Where does the data for MoF6 come from?
MoF6 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, oqmd, cod, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a binary transition metal fluoride, Molybdenum hexafluoride serves as a primary example of high-valent metal fluorides. It occupies a distinct position in the landscape of inorganic chemistry due to its stability and specialized handling requirements, setting a benchmark for the synthesis and behavior of related hexafluoride species.

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)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • 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)
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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