NiP2O7

nickel pyrophosphate · nickel(II) pyrophosphate

NiP2O7 is a semiconducting nickel-based pyrophosphate studied as a potential catalyst for oxygen-evolution reactions in electrochemical systems.

Crystal structure of NiP2O7 (monoclinic, C2/c (No. 15))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About nickel pyrophosphate

Nickel pyrophosphate is a semiconducting oxide that functions within the broader family of oxygen-evolution catalysts. Its structural framework, characterized by pyrophosphate groups coordinated with nickel centers, makes it a subject of interest for electrochemical water-splitting applications. Despite its complex structural chemistry, it remains a notable example of transition metal phosphates being evaluated for their catalytic activity. Because this compound sits above the thermodynamic hull, it is considered metastable, which influences its synthesis pathways and long-term performance in catalytic environments. This metastability is a key factor in research aimed at stabilizing the material for practical energy conversion systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for nickel pyrophosphate, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.01–0.16 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.145 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Above hull
2 DFT sources

Structures

14
3 databases, 6 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for NiP2O7, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic0.140.1448-7.1222.93
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.000.1527-7.1142.88
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.000.1570-7.1102.94
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.000.1627-7.1042.69
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.000.1674-7.1002.99
C2 (No. 5)monoclinic0.160.1798-7.0873.12
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.000.2318-7.0353.06
P21 (No. 4)monoclinic0.010.2720-6.9952.84
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.000.3033-6.9642.86
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.000.3623-6.9052.87
C2 (No. 5)
C2 (No. 5)Monoclinic3.12
Uses

Applications

Where nickel pyrophosphate is used.

Oxygen-evolution catalysisElectrochemical water splittingMaterials science research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about nickel pyrophosphate, answered from cross-validated data.

What is NiP2O7?

NiP2O7 is a semiconducting nickel-based pyrophosphate studied as a potential catalyst for oxygen-evolution reactions in electrochemical systems.

More questions
What is NiP2O7 used for?
nickel pyrophosphate (NiP2O7) is used in oxygen-evolution catalysis, electrochemical water splitting, and materials science research.
What is the band gap of NiP2O7?
nickel pyrophosphate (NiP2O7) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.01–0.16 eV across 14 reported structures.
Is NiP2O7 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.16 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is NiP2O7 thermodynamically stable?
nickel pyrophosphate (NiP2O7) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.145 eV/atom (above hull).
What is the crystal structure of NiP2O7?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of nickel pyrophosphate (NiP2O7) is monoclinic symmetry, space group C2/c (No. 15).
What is the density of NiP2O7?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of nickel pyrophosphate (NiP2O7) is 2.93 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of NiP2O7 are known?
14 structures of NiP2O7 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 6 distinct space groups.
What elements does NiP2O7 contain?
nickel pyrophosphate (NiP2O7) contains Ni, O, and P (3 elements).
Where does the data for NiP2O7 come from?
NiP2O7 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the oxide oxygen-evolution catalysts class.

Unlike the highly stable and widely utilized binary oxide NiO or the layered lithium-intercalation compounds like LiNiO2 and LiCoO2, NiP2O7 represents a more specialized phosphate-based approach to catalysis. While perovskite-structured oxides such as LaNiO3 and LaMnO3 are frequently studied for their robust electronic conductivity and surface activity, NiP2O7 offers a distinct chemical environment where the phosphate polyanions modify the electronic landscape of the nickel sites, potentially offering different pathways for oxygen evolution compared to conventional transition metal oxides.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Oxide Oxygen-Evolution Catalysts in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

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