SNF

SNF is a ternary sulfur-nitrogen-fluorine compound characterized as a wide-band-gap insulator that exists in a thermodynamically unstable state.

FNS
Crystal structure of SNF (trigonal, R-3 (No. 148))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About SNF

SNF is a ternary inorganic compound composed of sulfur, nitrogen, and fluorine. As a wide-band-gap insulator, it exhibits distinct electronic characteristics that differentiate it from metallic or semiconducting materials within the broader chemical landscape. Its structural complexity is highlighted by its appearance in multiple databases across various configurations. Because it is positioned above the thermodynamic hull, SNF is generally considered an unstable phase, which poses significant challenges for synthesis and long-term characterization. This instability makes it a subject of interest for researchers studying metastable chemical systems and high-energy materials.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for SNF, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

3.45–4.04 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.237 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Above hull
2 DFT sources

Structures

13
4 databases, 7 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
R-3 (No. 148)trigonal4.040.2373-5.3912.05
P-421c (No. 114)tetragonal3.450.2563-5.3722.06
P-421c (No. 114)tetragonal2.38
Pmma (No. 51)Orthorhombic4.29
P2/m (No. 10)Monoclinic2.69
P2/m (No. 10)Monoclinic4.50
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic3.11
P4mm (No. 99)
P2 (No. 3)Monoclinic2.32
P2/m (No. 10)Monoclinic3.01
R-3 (No. 148)
P-421c (No. 114)
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is SNF?

SNF is a ternary sulfur-nitrogen-fluorine compound characterized as a wide-band-gap insulator that exists in a thermodynamically unstable state.

More questions
What is the band gap of SNF?
SNF has a DFT-computed band gap of 3.45–4.04 eV across 13 reported structures.
Is SNF a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 4.04 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is SNF thermodynamically stable?
SNF has a lowest energy above hull of 0.237 eV/atom (above hull).
What is the crystal structure of SNF?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of SNF is trigonal symmetry, space group R-3 (No. 148).
What is the density of SNF?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of SNF is 2.05 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of SNF are known?
13 structures of SNF are reported across 4 databases, spanning 7 distinct space groups.
What elements does SNF contain?
SNF contains F, N, and S (3 elements).
Where does the data for SNF come from?
SNF data is cross-referenced from materials_project, cod, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique ternary compound with no direct structural siblings in this specific dataset, SNF occupies a specialized niche. Its status as a thermodynamically unstable insulator distinguishes it from more robust, ground-state materials, marking it as a candidate for advanced computational studies rather than traditional bulk manufacturing.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

Analyze SNF in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 53 integrated data sources.

Explore the Platform →