NiF2

nickel(II) fluoride · nickel difluoride

Nickel(II) fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound commonly utilized as a chemical reagent and precursor in industrial processes.

FNi
Crystal structure of NiF2 (tetragonal, P42/mnm (No. 136))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About nickel(II) fluoride

Nickel(II) fluoride is a robust inorganic compound characterized by its insulating electronic nature. As a thermodynamically stable material, it occupies a secure position on the convex hull, indicating significant structural integrity under ambient conditions. Its extensive documentation across multiple databases reflects its established role in materials science research. This compound serves as a critical precursor in various chemical processes, leveraging its stable fluoride framework to facilitate complex reactions. Its insulating properties make it an interesting subject for studies involving dielectric materials and specialized chemical reagents.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for nickel(II) fluoride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.47–1.47 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

174
3 databases, 24 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of NiF2. 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: P42/mnm (No. 136))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for NiF2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P42/mnm (No. 136)tetragonal4.910.0000-5.5204.86
——0.730.0000-1.925—
Pnnm (No. 58)orthorhombic0.470.0000-1.775—
Pnnm (No. 58)orthorhombic0.000.0008-5.5204.86
——0.890.0042-1.921—
——0.600.0076-1.918—
——0.000.0102-1.915—
——0.000.0461-1.879—
——0.590.0491-1.876—
——1.440.0685-1.857—
——0.750.0733-1.852—
——1.330.0783-1.847—
Uses

Applications

Where nickel(II) fluoride is used.

chemical synthesisfluorinating agentcatalyst precursor
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about nickel(II) fluoride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is NiF2?

Nickel(II) fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound commonly utilized as a chemical reagent and precursor in industrial processes.

More questions
What is NiF2 used for?
nickel(II) fluoride (NiF2) is used in chemical synthesis, fluorinating agent, and catalyst precursor.
What is the band gap of NiF2?
nickel(II) fluoride (NiF2) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.47–1.47 eV across 174 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is NiF2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.47 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is NiF2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — nickel(II) fluoride (NiF2) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of NiF2?
The reference structure of nickel(II) fluoride (NiF2) is tetragonal symmetry, space group P42/mnm (No. 136).
What is the density of NiF2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of nickel(II) fluoride (NiF2) is 4.86 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of NiF2 are known?
174 structures of NiF2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 24 distinct space groups.
What elements does NiF2 contain?
nickel(II) fluoride (NiF2) contains F and Ni (2 elements).
Where does the data for NiF2 come from?
NiF2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a primary fluoride of nickel, this compound serves as a fundamental reference point for understanding the structural and chemical behavior of transition metal halides. It represents a stable and well-characterized example of its class, providing a baseline for the development of more complex fluorinated materials.

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)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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