PrF3

praseodymium(III) fluoride · praseodymium trifluoride

Praseodymium(III) fluoride is a stable, wide-gap insulating rare-earth salt commonly used in optical coatings and chemical synthesis.

FPr
Crystal structure of PrF3 (trigonal, P-3c1 (No. 165))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About praseodymium(III) fluoride

Praseodymium(III) fluoride is a thermodynamically stable inorganic compound characterized by its insulating electronic nature. As a robust fluoride, it maintains structural integrity across a wide range of conditions, making it a reliable material for high-performance applications. Its stability is underscored by its presence on the convex hull, indicating a highly favorable energetic state. Due to its extensive documentation in structural databases, it serves as a well-understood reference point for rare-earth halide research. It is primarily utilized in optical technologies where its wide-gap electronic properties prevent unwanted absorption, and it serves as a critical chemical precursor for synthesizing other praseodymium-based materials.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for praseodymium(III) fluoride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

5.46–7.60 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

33
3 databases, 11 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for PrF3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P-3c1 (No. 165)trigonal7.600.0000-14.1326.28
P63/mcm (No. 193)hexagonal5.460.1639-13.9696.22
P6322 (No. 182)hexagonal5.460.1655-13.9676.22
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic6.40
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic3.17
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic4.57
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic6.08
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic5.33
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic6.09
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic6.60
Cmcm (No. 63)Orthorhombic8.68
P2 (No. 3)Monoclinic5.50
Uses

Applications

Where praseodymium(III) fluoride is used.

Optical coatingsPrecursor for praseodymium-based materialsFluoride glass manufacturingSpecialty ceramics
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about praseodymium(III) fluoride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is PrF3?

Praseodymium(III) fluoride is a stable, wide-gap insulating rare-earth salt commonly used in optical coatings and chemical synthesis.

More questions
What is PrF3 used for?
praseodymium(III) fluoride (PrF3) is used in optical coatings, precursor for praseodymium-based materials, fluoride glass manufacturing, and specialty ceramics.
What is the band gap of PrF3?
praseodymium(III) fluoride (PrF3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 5.46–7.60 eV across 33 reported structures.
Is PrF3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 7.60 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is PrF3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — praseodymium(III) fluoride (PrF3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of PrF3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of praseodymium(III) fluoride (PrF3) is trigonal symmetry, space group P-3c1 (No. 165).
What is the density of PrF3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of praseodymium(III) fluoride (PrF3) is 6.28 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of PrF3 are known?
33 structures of PrF3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 11 distinct space groups.
What elements does PrF3 contain?
praseodymium(III) fluoride (PrF3) contains F and Pr (2 elements).
Where does the data for PrF3 come from?
PrF3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone member of the rare-earth trifluoride family, this compound represents a fundamental building block for fluoride-based optics and ceramics. Its inherent thermodynamic stability and well-characterized structural behavior distinguish it as a reliable, high-purity component in material synthesis compared to less stable or more reactive halide alternatives.

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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