NaNbO3

Sodium niobate · NaNbO3

Sodium niobate is a stable, insulating perovskite oxide used extensively in materials research for its versatile structural and dielectric properties.

Crystal structure of NaNbO3 (trigonal, R3c (No. 161))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Sodium niobate

Sodium niobate is a thermodynamically stable perovskite oxide that functions as a wide-gap insulator. Its structural complexity is highlighted by the extensive number of reported crystalline phases, making it a significant subject of study in solid-state chemistry and materials science.

Because of its robust stability and distinct electronic character, this compound serves as a foundational material for investigating dielectric and ferroelectric phenomena. It is widely utilized in research aimed at developing high-performance electronic components and sensors.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Sodium niobate, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

1.52–3.84 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

49
3 databases, 14 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for NaNbO3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
R3c (No. 161)trigonal2.500.0000-8.1024.47
Pbcm (No. 57)orthorhombic2.360.0017-8.1004.52
Pca21 (No. 29)orthorhombic2.410.0018-8.1004.51
Pmc21 (No. 26)orthorhombic2.370.0024-8.1004.51
Pna21 (No. 33)orthorhombic2.350.0029-8.0994.53
R-3 (No. 148)trigonal3.840.0031-8.0994.21
Pmn21 (No. 31)orthorhombic2.230.0036-8.0994.53
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic1.800.0246-8.0784.36
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic1.720.0250-8.0774.29
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic1.860.0252-8.0774.41
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic1.650.0254-8.0774.32
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic1.680.0267-8.0764.40
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting NaNbO3.

Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where Sodium niobate is used.

Dielectric resonatorsFerroelectric researchElectronic component developmentSensor technology
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Sodium niobate, answered from cross-validated data.

What is NaNbO3?

Sodium niobate is a stable, insulating perovskite oxide used extensively in materials research for its versatile structural and dielectric properties.

More questions
What is NaNbO3 used for?
Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) is used in dielectric resonators, ferroelectric research, electronic component development, and sensor technology.
What is the band gap of NaNbO3?
Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.52–3.84 eV across 49 reported structures.
Is NaNbO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 3.84 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is NaNbO3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of NaNbO3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) is trigonal symmetry, space group R3c (No. 161).
What is the density of NaNbO3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) is 4.47 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of NaNbO3 are known?
49 structures of NaNbO3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 14 distinct space groups.
How is NaNbO3 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for NaNbO3 include sol-gel (6 procedures documented).
What elements does NaNbO3 contain?
Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) contains Na, Nb, and O (3 elements).
Where does the data for NaNbO3 come from?
NaNbO3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the perovskite oxides class.

Within the diverse family of perovskite oxides, sodium niobate occupies a unique position compared to transition-metal-rich siblings like LaNiO3 or LaMnO3. While many members of this class exhibit complex magnetic or metallic behaviors, sodium niobate is distinguished by its insulating nature, aligning it more closely with the dielectric utility found in materials like BaTiO3 or LaAlO3.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Perovskite Oxides in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

Analyze NaNbO3 in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 53 integrated data sources.

Explore the Platform →