SN
SN is a semiconducting binary compound of sulfur and nitrogen that is characterized by its high structural diversity and metastable nature.
About SN
SN is a binary compound composed of sulfur and nitrogen that exhibits semiconducting electronic characteristics. Due to its position above the thermodynamic hull, it is considered a metastable phase that presents significant interest for fundamental studies in chemical bonding and structural coordination. The material is notable for its high structural complexity, with hundreds of distinct configurations documented across scientific databases. This extensive structural variety makes it a subject of intrigue for researchers investigating the limits of phase stability and the formation of non-standard sulfur-nitrogen networks. While its inherent instability poses challenges for practical implementation, the compound serves as a critical reference point for understanding the energetic landscape of chalcogen-pnictogen systems.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for SN, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of SN. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for SN, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -0.091 | — |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 0.3631 | -8.218 | 1.82 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 2.35 | 0.3700 | -8.211 | 1.84 |
| Pbcn (No. 60) | orthorhombic | 2.36 | 0.3703 | -8.211 | 1.81 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.4062 | 0.315 | — |
| — | — | 2.30 | 0.4111 | 0.320 | — |
| — | — | 2.12 | 0.4445 | 0.353 | — |
| Pnma (No. 62) | orthorhombic | 0.00 | 0.4811 | -8.100 | 1.59 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 2.95 | 0.5087 | -8.073 | 1.87 |
| P21 (No. 4) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 0.5088 | -8.073 | 1.64 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 0.5302 | 0.514 | — |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 0.00 | 0.5302 | 0.514 | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about SN, answered from cross-validated data.
What is SN?
SN is a semiconducting binary compound of sulfur and nitrogen that is characterized by its high structural diversity and metastable nature.
What is the band gap of SN?
Is SN a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is SN thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of SN?
What is the density of SN?
How many polymorphs of SN are known?
What elements does SN contain?
Where does the data for SN come from?
How It Compares
As a unique binary system, SN occupies a distinct space in materials research where it serves as a primary subject for exploring the interplay between sulfur and nitrogen bonding without direct structural analogues in its immediate class.
Data sources & attribution
- oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
Analyze SN in the Lattice Graph platform
Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 85 source databases.
Explore the Platform →