Rb3P

Rb3P is a semiconducting rubidium phosphide compound that is characterized by its metastable nature and structural complexity.

PRb
Crystal structure of Rb3P (cubic, Fm-3m (No. 225))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Rb3P

Rb3P is a binary phosphide composed of rubidium and phosphorus. As a semiconducting material, it represents a specialized chemical system that has been characterized across multiple structural configurations in various computational databases. Its electronic nature makes it a subject of interest for fundamental studies in solid-state chemistry.

Because this compound is found above the thermodynamic hull, it is considered inherently unstable under standard conditions. This metastability suggests that while it can be modeled and theoretically identified, its synthesis and long-term preservation present significant challenges compared to more robust, ground-state materials.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Rb3P, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.42 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.119 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Above hull
2 DFT sources

Structures

5
3 databases, 1 space group
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Rb3P, 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)cubic0.420.1186-2.1503.17
Fm-3m (No. 225)
Fm-3m (No. 225)Cubic3.25
Fm-3m (No. 225)Cubic3.17
Fm-3m (No. 225)Cubic3.36
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Rb3P, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Rb3P?

Rb3P is a semiconducting rubidium phosphide compound that is characterized by its metastable nature and structural complexity.

More questions
What is the band gap of Rb3P?
Rb3P has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.42 eV across 5 reported structures.
Is Rb3P a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.42 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Rb3P thermodynamically stable?
Rb3P has a lowest energy above hull of 0.119 eV/atom (above hull).
What is the crystal structure of Rb3P?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Rb3P is cubic symmetry, space group Fm-3m (No. 225).
What is the density of Rb3P?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Rb3P is 3.17 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Rb3P are known?
5 structures of Rb3P are reported across 3 databases, spanning 1 distinct space group.
What elements does Rb3P contain?
Rb3P contains P and Rb (2 elements).
Where does the data for Rb3P come from?
Rb3P data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique binary phosphide, Rb3P occupies a niche position in materials science where its semiconducting behavior is balanced against its thermodynamic instability. Without established siblings in this specific class, it serves as a primary example of how alkali metal phosphides can exhibit complex structural diversity despite being energetically unfavorable relative to their constituent elements.

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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