SeN

SeN is a semiconducting selenium-nitrogen compound known for its structural diversity in research despite being thermodynamically unstable.

NSe
Crystal structure of SeN (monoclinic, C2/c (No. 15))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About SeN

SeN is a binary compound consisting of selenium and nitrogen, characterized by its semiconducting electronic behavior. As a material that sits above the thermodynamic hull, it represents a metastable phase that is of significant interest for fundamental studies in chalcogen-nitrogen chemistry.

Despite its inherent instability, the compound is highly data-rich, appearing in numerous reported structures across scientific databases. Its existence provides valuable insights into the bonding interactions between selenium and nitrogen, contributing to our broader understanding of non-metal inorganic frameworks.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

0.47–1.86 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.020 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Near Hull
3 DFT sources

Structures

244
3 databases, 29 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of SeN. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.814 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: C2/c (No. 15))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——0.470.0197-0.012—
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic1.880.6340-11.0863.51
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic1.960.6348-11.0853.53
——1.750.75600.724—
——1.860.75730.726—
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic1.760.83370.826—
——0.001.53291.501—
——0.001.53381.502—
——0.001.58341.552—
——0.001.72191.690—
——0.002.07992.048—
——0.002.27952.248—
Uses

Applications

Where SeN is used.

Fundamental materials science researchStructural chemistry studies
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is SeN?

SeN is a semiconducting selenium-nitrogen compound known for its structural diversity in research despite being thermodynamically unstable.

More questions
What is SeN used for?
SeN is used in fundamental materials science research and structural chemistry studies.
What is the band gap of SeN?
SeN has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.47–1.86 eV across 244 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is SeN a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.86 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is SeN thermodynamically stable?
SeN has a lowest energy above hull of 0.020 eV/atom (near hull).
What is the crystal structure of SeN?
The reference structure of SeN is monoclinic symmetry, space group C2/c (No. 15).
What is the density of SeN?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of SeN is 3.53 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of SeN are known?
244 structures of SeN are reported across 3 databases, spanning 29 distinct space groups.
What elements does SeN contain?
SeN contains N and Se (2 elements).
Where does the data for SeN come from?
SeN data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique binary system, SeN occupies a distinct position in materials science where its semiconducting nature and metastable state make it a subject of specialized structural investigation rather than a traditional bulk industrial material.

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)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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