AlF3

Aluminum fluoride · Aluminium fluoride

Aluminum fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely utilized in the industrial production of aluminum metal.

AlF
Crystal structure of AlF3 (trigonal, R-3c (No. 167))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Aluminum fluoride

Aluminum fluoride is a highly stable inorganic compound that exists as a wide-band-gap insulator. Its structural integrity is underscored by its position on the convex hull, making it a robust and reliable material for various chemical and industrial applications.

Due to its unique electronic properties and inherent stability, this compound serves as a critical component in the production of aluminum metal. Its widespread use is supported by extensive structural data, reflecting its significance in modern materials science and chemical manufacturing.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

5.49–7.60 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

162
3 databases, 32 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for AlF3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
R-3c (No. 167)trigonal7.600.0000-7.8933.26
P321 (No. 150)trigonal7.430.0029-7.8902.90
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic7.490.0093-7.8843.03
Pm-3m (No. 221)cubic7.420.0094-7.8843.02
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic7.520.0106-7.8832.88
P4/nmm (No. 129)tetragonal7.400.0138-7.8802.88
P4/mbm (No. 127)tetragonal7.420.0152-7.8782.95
P2/m (No. 10)monoclinic7.450.0362-7.8572.73
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic7.490.0415-7.8522.77
Cmmm (No. 65)orthorhombic7.450.0542-7.8392.82
P1 (No. 1)triclinic5.490.1726-7.7212.87
P1 (No. 1)triclinic5.630.1831-7.7102.85
Uses

Applications

Where Aluminum fluoride is used.

Aluminum smeltingFlux for non-ferrous metalsOptical material productionCeramic manufacturing
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Aluminum fluoride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is AlF3?

Aluminum fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound widely utilized in the industrial production of aluminum metal.

More questions
What is AlF3 used for?
Aluminum fluoride (AlF3) is used in aluminum smelting, flux for non-ferrous metals, optical material production, and ceramic manufacturing.
What is the band gap of AlF3?
Aluminum fluoride (AlF3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 5.49–7.60 eV across 162 reported structures.
Is AlF3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 7.60 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is AlF3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Aluminum fluoride (AlF3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of AlF3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Aluminum fluoride (AlF3) is trigonal symmetry, space group R-3c (No. 167).
What is the density of AlF3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Aluminum fluoride (AlF3) is 3.26 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of AlF3 are known?
162 structures of AlF3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 32 distinct space groups.
What elements does AlF3 contain?
Aluminum fluoride (AlF3) contains Al and F (2 elements).
Where does the data for AlF3 come from?
AlF3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a foundational inorganic fluoride, this compound represents a standard for stability and insulating behavior in its class, serving as a primary reference point for researchers investigating aluminum-based halide systems.

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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