TlN3

thallium azide · thallium(I) azide

Thallium azide is a semiconducting inorganic compound known for its structural complexity and thermodynamic instability.

NTl
Crystal structure of TlN3 (tetragonal, I4/mcm (No. 140))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About thallium azide

Thallium azide is a semiconducting inorganic compound composed of thallium and nitrogen. It is characterized by a complex structural landscape, with numerous reported configurations across various databases, reflecting the intricate bonding behavior of the azide anion in the presence of heavy metal cations.

Due to its chemical nature, this compound is noted for being thermodynamically unstable relative to its elemental components. Its study is primarily of interest to researchers investigating the fundamental properties of metal azides and the structural diversity possible within this chemical class.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

0.55–1.85 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: wide gap

Energy Above Hull

0.184 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Unstable
3 DFT sources

Structures

45
3 databases, 9 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of TlN3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.45 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.137 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 TlN3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——1.630.18360.184—
I4/mcm (No. 140)tetragonal1.760.3106-19.8315.82
I4/mcm (No. 140)tetragonal1.850.32110.309—
——0.551.08831.088—
——0.002.86322.863—
——0.002.89872.899—
——0.002.96242.962—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———6.56
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———4.04
I4/mcm (No. 140)tetragonal———5.83
Cm (No. 8)monoclinic———4.98
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———1.52
Uses

Applications

Where thallium azide is used.

fundamental chemical researchenergetic materials study
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about thallium azide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is TlN3?

Thallium azide is a semiconducting inorganic compound known for its structural complexity and thermodynamic instability.

More questions
What is TlN3 used for?
thallium azide (TlN3) is used in fundamental chemical research and energetic materials study.
What is the band gap of TlN3?
thallium azide (TlN3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.55–1.85 eV across 45 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is TlN3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.85 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is TlN3 thermodynamically stable?
thallium azide (TlN3) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.184 eV/atom (unstable).
What is the crystal structure of TlN3?
The reference structure of thallium azide (TlN3) is tetragonal symmetry, space group I4/mcm (No. 140).
What is the density of TlN3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of thallium azide (TlN3) is 5.82 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of TlN3 are known?
45 structures of TlN3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 9 distinct space groups.
What elements does TlN3 contain?
thallium azide (TlN3) contains N and Tl (2 elements).
Where does the data for TlN3 come from?
TlN3 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a metal azide, this compound represents a specialized niche in inorganic chemistry, where the interplay between the heavy thallium cation and the highly energetic azide group dictates its stability and electronic behavior. Unlike more common ionic salts, its position above the thermodynamic hull highlights the inherent reactivity often found in nitrogen-rich materials.

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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