NaI
Sodium iodide · NaI
Sodium iodide is a stable, insulating salt primarily used for its ability to detect ionizing radiation.

About Sodium iodide
Sodium iodide is a thermodynamically stable inorganic salt that functions as a wide-band-gap insulator. Its electronic structure is characterized by a significant energy gap that prevents electrical conduction under standard conditions, making it an ideal candidate for optical and radiation-detection applications.
Due to its high structural reliability and well-documented physical properties, this compound is a cornerstone in the field of radiation physics. It is frequently utilized in devices that require the conversion of high-energy particles into detectable light pulses, serving as a critical component in diagnostic equipment.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Sodium iodide, aggregated across 4 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.
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting NaI.
Applications
Where Sodium iodide is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sodium iodide, answered from cross-validated data.
What is NaI?
Sodium iodide is a stable, insulating salt primarily used for its ability to detect ionizing radiation.
What is NaI used for?
What is the band gap of NaI?
Is NaI a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is NaI thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of NaI are known?
How is NaI synthesized?
What elements does NaI contain?
Where does the data for NaI come from?
How It Compares
As a fundamental halide, sodium iodide occupies a central role in the study of alkali metal salts. It is recognized for its high degree of structural stability and is one of the most frequently characterized materials in its class, serving as a benchmark for performance in scintillation technology.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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