CoO

Cobalt(II) oxide · Cobaltous oxide

Cobalt(II) oxide is a stable semiconducting transition metal oxide widely studied for its potential as a high-capacity conversion anode in electrochemical energy storage.

Crystal structure of CoO (cubic, F-43m (No. 216))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Cobalt(II) oxide

Cobalt(II) oxide is a semiconducting transition metal oxide that sits on the thermodynamic convex hull, indicating high stability. As a member of the conversion oxide anode class, it is heavily researched for its ability to store energy through chemical transformation rather than simple intercalation.

This material is a subject of extensive structural investigation, with hundreds of reported configurations across major databases. Its electronic and structural characteristics make it a foundational candidate for studying the mechanisms of conversion-based energy storage systems.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Cobalt(II) oxide, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

0.22–0.71 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

441
4 databases, 48 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

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

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

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

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
F-43m (No. 216)cubic0.590.0000-7.3135.45
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal0.710.0004-7.3125.37
Fm-3m (No. 225)cubic0.000.0369-7.2766.50
I4/mmm (No. 139)tetragonal0.000.1316-7.1816.24
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.270.3688-6.9444.87
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.350.3841-6.9284.77
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.220.4017-6.9114.77
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.260.4094-6.9034.99
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic5.59
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic3.52
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic3.72
Cmcm (No. 63)Orthorhombic6.80
Uses

Applications

Where Cobalt(II) oxide is used.

Lithium-ion battery anodesPigment productionCeramic additivesCatalysis
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Cobalt(II) oxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is CoO?

Cobalt(II) oxide is a stable semiconducting transition metal oxide widely studied for its potential as a high-capacity conversion anode in electrochemical energy storage.

More questions
What is CoO used for?
Cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) is used in lithium-ion battery anodes, pigment production, ceramic additives, and catalysis.
What is the band gap of CoO?
Cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.22–0.71 eV across 441 reported structures.
Is CoO a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 0.71 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is CoO thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of CoO?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) is cubic symmetry, space group F-43m (No. 216).
What is the density of CoO?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) is 5.45 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CoO are known?
441 structures of CoO are reported across 4 databases, spanning 48 distinct space groups.
What elements does CoO contain?
Cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) contains Co and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for CoO come from?
CoO data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the conversion oxide anodes class.

Within the family of conversion oxide anodes, Cobalt(II) oxide is distinguished by its thermodynamic stability compared to more complex oxides like Co3O4 or CoO2. While materials like MnO2 or Fe2O3 are also widely studied for their capacity, Cobalt(II) oxide remains a primary benchmark for understanding the fundamental redox behavior of cobalt-based conversion systems.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Conversion Oxide Anodes 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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