Sm

Samarium · Sm

Samarium is a stable, metallic rare-earth element widely used in the manufacturing of high-performance permanent magnets and specialized alloys.

Sm
Crystal structure of Sm
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Samarium

Samarium is a metallic chemical element belonging to the lanthanide series. It is characterized by its significant structural versatility, as evidenced by the large number of reported crystalline forms, and it maintains high thermodynamic stability in its elemental state.

This metal is highly valued for its unique electronic and magnetic properties. It is primarily utilized in the production of specialized alloys and high-strength permanent magnets that retain their effectiveness even at elevated temperatures.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

Metallic / not reported

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

23
4 databases, 4 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Sm.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Uses

Applications

Where Samarium is used.

High-performance permanent magnetsNeutron absorbers in nuclear reactorsSpecialized optical glassCatalysts in organic synthesis
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

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

What is Sm?

Samarium is a stable, metallic rare-earth element widely used in the manufacturing of high-performance permanent magnets and specialized alloys.

More questions
What is Sm used for?
Samarium (Sm) is used in high-performance permanent magnets, neutron absorbers in nuclear reactors, specialized optical glass, and catalysts in organic synthesis.
What is the band gap of Sm?
Samarium (Sm) is computed to be metallic (no band gap) in the reported DFT structures.
Is Sm a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Computed band structures report no gap, so it is metallic.
Is Sm thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Samarium (Sm) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of Sm are known?
23 structures of Sm are reported across 4 databases, spanning 4 distinct space groups.
How is Sm synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for Sm include sol gel (10 procedures documented).
What elements does Sm contain?
Samarium (Sm) contains Sm (1 element).
Where does the data for Sm come from?
Sm data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a fundamental lanthanide metal, samarium serves as a critical building block in materials science, acting as a primary component in advanced magnetic systems where its specific electronic configuration provides superior performance compared to other rare-earth elements.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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