ThBr4

Thorium tetrabromide

Thorium tetrabromide is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting thorium halide used in advanced detection technologies.

BrTh
Crystal structure of ThBr4 (tetragonal, I41/amd (No. 141))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Thorium tetrabromide

Thorium tetrabromide is a semiconducting inorganic halide that sits firmly on the convex hull, indicating high thermodynamic stability. Its structural versatility is highlighted by a significant number of reported configurations across major materials databases, making it a subject of interest for fundamental solid-state research.

Due to its electronic properties, this compound is primarily investigated for its potential in specialized sensing applications. Its stability and characteristic electronic behavior allow it to function effectively in environments where reliable material performance is required.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

2.96–3.17 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

15
3 databases, 5 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of ThBr4. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 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 ThBr4, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
I41/a (No. 88)tetragonal3.170.0000-1.817—
——2.960.0000-1.990—
I41/a (No. 88)tetragonal2.820.0000-4.9645.70
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal2.940.0099-4.9545.59
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal3.160.0148-1.802—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.63
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———9.84
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal———5.77
C2/m (No. 12)monoclinic———5.91
I41/a (No. 88)tetragonal———5.51
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal———5.77
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal———5.54
Uses

Applications

Where Thorium tetrabromide is used.

Radiation detectionScintillation materials
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Thorium tetrabromide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is ThBr4?

Thorium tetrabromide is a thermodynamically stable semiconducting thorium halide used in advanced detection technologies.

More questions
What is ThBr4 used for?
Thorium tetrabromide (ThBr4) is used in radiation detection and scintillation materials.
What is the band gap of ThBr4?
Thorium tetrabromide (ThBr4) has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.96–3.17 eV across 15 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is ThBr4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a wide band gap of up to 3.17 eV (an insulator or wide-band-gap material).
Is ThBr4 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Thorium tetrabromide (ThBr4) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of ThBr4?
The reference structure of Thorium tetrabromide (ThBr4) is tetragonal symmetry, space group I41/amd (No. 141).
What is the density of ThBr4?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Thorium tetrabromide (ThBr4) is 5.59 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of ThBr4 are known?
15 structures of ThBr4 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 5 distinct space groups.
What elements does ThBr4 contain?
Thorium tetrabromide (ThBr4) contains Br and Th (2 elements).
Where does the data for ThBr4 come from?
ThBr4 data is cross-referenced from jarvis, oqmd, materials_project, mpaloe, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a distinct thorium-based halide, this compound represents a key structural archetype within its chemical family. It serves as a primary reference point for understanding the behavior of heavy-metal halides, offering a stable framework for researchers studying the intersection of actinide chemistry and semiconductor physics.

Data sources & attribution
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • 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)
  • 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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