TbO3

TbO3 is a semiconducting oxide of terbium that exists as a metastable phase of interest in fundamental materials science research.

OTb
Crystal structure of TbO3 (hexagonal, P63/m (No. 176))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About TbO3

TbO3 is a semiconducting oxide composed of terbium and oxygen. As a member of the rare-earth oxide family, it represents a complex coordination environment that has been the subject of multiple structural investigations across various databases. Its electronic properties suggest potential utility in specialized semiconductor research where unique lanthanide-based behaviors are required.

Due to its thermodynamic profile, this compound is situated above the stability hull, suggesting it is a metastable or unstable phase under standard conditions. This makes TbO3 a fascinating subject for high-pressure synthesis or thin-film deposition studies, where non-equilibrium conditions may allow for the stabilization of its specific crystalline lattice.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for TbO3, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.14 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.646 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Unstable
3 DFT sources

Structures

8
3 databases, 3 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of TbO3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.05 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.238 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for TbO3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P63/m (No. 176)hexagonal0.160.4438-6.9155.36
——0.000.6463-1.631—
——0.000.6721-1.605—
P63/m (No. 176)hexagonal0.140.6823-1.699—
——0.000.7234-1.554—
——0.000.7277-1.550—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———7.52
Pm (No. 6)monoclinic———4.46
Pm (No. 6)monoclinic———6.55
Uses

Applications

Where TbO3 is used.

Fundamental materials science researchSemiconductor physics studiesLanthanide-based electronic material development
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about TbO3, answered from cross-validated data.

What is TbO3?

TbO3 is a semiconducting oxide of terbium that exists as a metastable phase of interest in fundamental materials science research.

More questions
What is TbO3 used for?
TbO3 is used in fundamental materials science research, semiconductor physics studies, and lanthanide-based electronic material development.
What is the band gap of TbO3?
TbO3 has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.14 eV across 8 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is TbO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.14 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is TbO3 thermodynamically stable?
TbO3 has a lowest energy above hull of 0.646 eV/atom (unstable).
What is the crystal structure of TbO3?
The reference structure of TbO3 is hexagonal symmetry, space group P63/m (No. 176).
What is the density of TbO3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of TbO3 is 5.36 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of TbO3 are known?
8 structures of TbO3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 3 distinct space groups.
What elements does TbO3 contain?
TbO3 contains O and Tb (2 elements).
Where does the data for TbO3 come from?
TbO3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a member of the broader terbium-oxygen system, TbO3 occupies a unique space compared to more common, highly stable terbium oxides. While other oxides in the lanthanide series often form highly predictable, thermodynamically favored structures, TbO3 stands out as a challenging, less conventional phase that requires specific synthetic pathways to access.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • 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)
  • 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.

Analyze TbO3 in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 85 source databases.

Explore the Platform →
Results are informational and should be validated by qualified professionals. See Terms of Service