PbF2

lead(II) fluoride · lead difluoride

Lead(II) fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely utilized for its specialized optical and electronic properties.

FPb
Crystal structure of PbF2 (cubic, Fm-3m (No. 225))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About lead(II) fluoride

Lead(II) fluoride is a robust, thermodynamically stable inorganic compound that exists as a wide-gap insulator. Its structural versatility is evidenced by its presence in numerous reported crystal configurations, making it a significant subject of study in solid-state chemistry.

Due to its electronic properties and stability, this material is highly valued in specialized technical fields. It serves as a foundational component in the development of high-performance optical coatings and various solid-state research applications.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for lead(II) fluoride, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

4.39 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

109
4 databases, 23 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for PbF2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic4.390.0000-23.3907.87
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic4.380.0009-23.3898.55
Aea2 (No. 41)orthorhombic4.370.0030-23.3877.48
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic5.34
Pnma (No. 62)
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic4.61
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic6.89
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic6.03
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic9.84
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic5.69
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic7.89
P2/m (No. 10)Monoclinic7.19
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting PbF2.

Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where lead(II) fluoride is used.

optical coatingsinfrared optical componentsscintillation materialssolid-state electrolyte research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is PbF2?

Lead(II) fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely utilized for its specialized optical and electronic properties.

More questions
What is PbF2 used for?
lead(II) fluoride (PbF2) is used in optical coatings, infrared optical components, scintillation materials, and solid-state electrolyte research.
What is the band gap of PbF2?
lead(II) fluoride (PbF2) has a DFT-computed band gap of 4.39 eV across 109 reported structures.
Is PbF2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 4.39 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is PbF2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — lead(II) fluoride (PbF2) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of PbF2?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of lead(II) fluoride (PbF2) is cubic symmetry, space group Fm-3m (No. 225).
What is the density of PbF2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of lead(II) fluoride (PbF2) is 7.87 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of PbF2 are known?
109 structures of PbF2 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 23 distinct space groups.
How is PbF2 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for PbF2 include sol-gel.
What elements does PbF2 contain?
lead(II) fluoride (PbF2) contains F and Pb (2 elements).
Where does the data for PbF2 come from?
PbF2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a prominent binary fluoride, lead(II) fluoride occupies a unique position in materials science due to its distinct combination of high structural stability and insulating character. It stands as a primary reference point for lead-based halides, offering a stable framework for exploring ion transport and optical phenomena in the absence of other complex structural siblings.

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

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