NiO

Nickel(II) oxide · Bunsenite

Nickel(II) oxide is a stable, semiconducting binary oxide frequently employed as a catalyst for oxygen-evolution processes.

Crystal structure of NiO
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Nickel(II) oxide

Nickel(II) oxide is a robust, thermodynamically stable binary oxide that functions as a semiconducting material. Its structural simplicity and high chemical stability make it a fundamental building block in materials science, particularly for researchers investigating surface-active oxygen-evolution catalysts.

Due to its extensive characterization across numerous structural databases, this compound serves as a reliable benchmark for catalytic performance. It is widely utilized in the development of electrochemical cells and energy conversion technologies where reliable oxygen-evolution kinetics are required.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Nickel(II) oxide, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

2.30 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

354
4 databases, 43 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting NiO.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Uses

Applications

Where Nickel(II) oxide is used.

Oxygen-evolution catalystsElectrochromic devicesGas sensorsBattery electrode materials
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

11 patents reference NiO or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
11396698ALD process for NiO film with tunable carbon content
11795555Method of making NiO nanoparticles for electrocatalytic water splitting
11444334Nickel oxide (NiO) nano-sheets based electrochromic energy storage device
6398924Spin valve sensor with improved pinning field between nickel oxide (NiO) pinning layer and pinned layer
4205996CoO Free black spinel ceramic pigment containing NiO, Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3
7663136Method of manufacturing amorphous NiO thin films and nonvolatile memory devices using the same
11873248Modified NiO-Ta2O5-based microwave dielectric ceramic material sintered at low temperature and its preparation
9911969V2O5—LiBO2, V2O5—NiO—LiBO2 glasses and their composites obtained by nitrogen doping and reduced graphite oxide
6296972Method for preparing LICOO2-coated NiO cathodes for molten carbon fuel cell
10475575In-situ oxidized NiO as electrode surface for high k MIM device
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Nickel(II) oxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is NiO?

Nickel(II) oxide is a stable, semiconducting binary oxide frequently employed as a catalyst for oxygen-evolution processes.

More questions
What is NiO used for?
Nickel(II) oxide (NiO) is used in oxygen-evolution catalysts, electrochromic devices, gas sensors, and battery electrode materials.
What is the band gap of NiO?
Nickel(II) oxide (NiO) has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.30 eV across 354 reported structures.
Is NiO a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 2.30 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is NiO thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Nickel(II) oxide (NiO) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of NiO are known?
354 structures of NiO are reported across 4 databases, spanning 43 distinct space groups.
How is NiO synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for NiO include sol gel, solid state (10 procedures documented).
What elements does NiO contain?
Nickel(II) oxide (NiO) contains Ni and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for NiO come from?
NiO data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the oxide oxygen-evolution catalysts class.

Unlike complex ternary or quaternary oxides such as LiNiO2 or LaNiO3, which often feature intricate layered or perovskite structures, Nickel(II) oxide provides a straightforward binary platform for studying catalytic activity. While materials like La2NiO4 offer more nuanced electronic properties for specific electrochemical environments, NiO remains a foundational reference point for the class due to its inherent stability and well-documented behavior.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Oxide Oxygen-Evolution Catalysts in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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