WC
WC has a DFT band gap of Metallic / not reported across 655 reported structures in 50 space groups; its lowest-energy polymorph is hexagonal (P-6m2 (No. 187)). Cross-validated across 4 computational databases.
At a glance
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for WC, aggregated across 4 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.
Metallic / not reported
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.
0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources
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.
On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
655
4 databases, 50 space groups
Crystallography
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for WC, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P-6m2 (No. 187) | hexagonal | 0.00 | 0.0000 | -30.811 | 15.55 |
| Fm-3m (No. 225) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.4477 | -30.363 | 15.42 |
| F-43m (No. 216) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.6729 | -30.138 | 12.45 |
| Pm-3m (No. 221) | cubic | 0.00 | 0.8990 | -29.912 | 15.92 |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 15.85 |
| Cm (No. 8) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 13.15 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 11.61 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 16.86 |
| P1 (No. 1) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 13.41 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 10.40 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 15.70 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 14.84 |
Reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about WC, answered from cross-validated data.
What is the band gap of WC?
WC is computed to be metallic (no band gap) in the reported DFT structures.
More questions
Is WC a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Computed band structures report no gap, so it is metallic.
Is WC thermodynamically stable?
Yes — WC sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of WC?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of WC is hexagonal symmetry, space group P-6m2 (No. 187).
What is the density of WC?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of WC is 15.55 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of WC are known?
655 structures of WC are reported across 4 databases, spanning 50 distinct space groups.
What elements does WC contain?
WC contains C and W (2 elements).
Where does the data for WC come from?
WC data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
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Related Compounds
Other Carbide Hard Materials in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
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