SnWO4
SnWO4 is a metastable, wide-gap insulating oxide composed of tin, tungsten, and oxygen that is studied for its unique structural and electronic properties.
About SnWO4
SnWO4 is a complex oxide containing tin and tungsten that functions as a wide-gap insulator within the broader family of transparent conducting oxides. Its electronic structure is characterized by a significant gap between the valence and conduction bands, which limits its intrinsic electrical conductivity under standard conditions.
As a metastable phase, this compound represents a unique structural configuration that is of significant interest for researchers studying phase stability and synthesis pathways. Its existence across multiple crystallographic structures highlights the versatility of the tin-tungsten-oxygen system in forming complex oxide frameworks.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for SnWO4, 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 SnWO4. 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 SnWO4, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 1.27 | 0.0000 | -2.160 | — |
| — | — | 3.60 | 0.0020 | -2.158 | — |
| — | — | 2.13 | 0.0322 | -2.128 | — |
| Pnna (No. 52) | orthorhombic | 0.92 | 0.0519 | -8.147 | 7.09 |
| P213 (No. 198) | cubic | 0.71 | 0.0606 | -2.006 | — |
| — | — | 1.45 | 0.0779 | -2.082 | — |
| — | — | 1.77 | 0.1166 | -2.044 | — |
| P213 (No. 198) | cubic | 3.84 | 0.1312 | -8.068 | 5.50 |
| — | — | 0.00 | 0.1699 | -1.990 | — |
| Pnna (No. 52) | orthorhombic | — | — | — | 7.09 |
| Pnna (No. 52) | orthorhombic | — | — | — | 7.37 |
| P213 (No. 198) | cubic | — | — | — | 5.67 |
Synthesis Routes
Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting SnWO4.
Applications
Where SnWO4 is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about SnWO4, answered from cross-validated data.
What is SnWO4?
SnWO4 is a metastable, wide-gap insulating oxide composed of tin, tungsten, and oxygen that is studied for its unique structural and electronic properties.
What is SnWO4 used for?
What is the band gap of SnWO4?
Is SnWO4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is SnWO4 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of SnWO4?
What is the density of SnWO4?
How many polymorphs of SnWO4 are known?
How is SnWO4 synthesized?
What elements does SnWO4 contain?
Where does the data for SnWO4 come from?
How It Compares
Within the transparent conducting oxides class.
Unlike highly conductive and widely utilized transparent conducting oxides such as BaSnO3 or ZnO, SnWO4 occupies a distinct niche characterized by its insulating nature and metastable state. While many of its class members like ZnGa2O4 are explored for their optical transparency and electronic transport, SnWO4 serves as a specialized subject for investigating the limits of stability and electronic tuning in ternary oxide systems.
Related Compounds
Other Transparent Conducting Oxides in the database.
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.
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)
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