NaFeO2

Sodium ferrite · Sodium iron oxide

NaFeO2 is a stable, semiconducting sodium iron oxide used primarily as a model material in the development of advanced sodium-ion battery cathodes.

Crystal structure of NaFeO2 (trigonal, R-3m (No. 166))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Sodium ferrite

NaFeO2 is a prominent member of the layered sodium transition-metal oxide family, characterized by its semiconducting electronic nature and robust thermodynamic stability. As a material that resides on the convex hull, it serves as a fundamental building block for understanding structural evolution in alkali-metal intercalation systems.

Its significance lies in its role as a precursor and active component in energy storage technologies, particularly within the development of sodium-ion batteries. Due to its well-documented structural diversity, it remains a highly studied compound for optimizing cathode performance and ion transport kinetics.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Sodium ferrite, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.19–2.57 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

34
3 databases, 12 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for NaFeO2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
R-3m (No. 166)trigonal1.990.0000-6.7254.37
P41212 (No. 92)tetragonal0.780.0270-6.6983.16
Pnma (No. 62)orthorhombic0.000.0304-7.0464.29
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic0.190.0393-7.0373.68
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic0.000.0426-7.0343.62
Pna21 (No. 33)orthorhombic2.060.0499-6.6753.22
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.000.0533-7.0233.71
P63/mmc (No. 194)hexagonal2.570.0841-6.6414.55
Imma (No. 74)orthorhombic0.000.0929-6.9833.98
Pmmn (No. 59)orthorhombic0.000.1625-6.9144.10
Fd-3m (No. 227)cubic0.000.1909-6.8854.33
R-3m (No. 166)
Uses

Applications

Where Sodium ferrite is used.

Sodium-ion battery cathodesElectrochemical energy storage researchCatalysis
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Sodium ferrite, answered from cross-validated data.

What is NaFeO2?

NaFeO2 is a stable, semiconducting sodium iron oxide used primarily as a model material in the development of advanced sodium-ion battery cathodes.

More questions
What is NaFeO2 used for?
Sodium ferrite (NaFeO2) is used in sodium-ion battery cathodes, electrochemical energy storage research, and catalysis.
What is the band gap of NaFeO2?
Sodium ferrite (NaFeO2) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.19–2.57 eV across 34 reported structures.
Is NaFeO2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 2.57 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is NaFeO2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Sodium ferrite (NaFeO2) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of NaFeO2?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Sodium ferrite (NaFeO2) is trigonal symmetry, space group R-3m (No. 166).
What is the density of NaFeO2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Sodium ferrite (NaFeO2) is 4.37 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of NaFeO2 are known?
34 structures of NaFeO2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 12 distinct space groups.
What elements does NaFeO2 contain?
Sodium ferrite (NaFeO2) contains Fe, Na, and O (3 elements).
Where does the data for NaFeO2 come from?
NaFeO2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the layered sodium transition-metal oxides class.

Within the diverse class of layered sodium transition-metal oxides, NaFeO2 stands out as a stable iron-based variant compared to the more complex or cobalt-rich members like NaCoO2 or Na2FeO3. While materials like NaNiO2 are frequently explored for their specific electrochemical activity, NaFeO2 provides a critical baseline for iron-based systems, offering a more abundant and cost-effective alternative to the noble-metal-containing analogs.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Layered Sodium Transition-Metal Oxides in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

Analyze NaFeO2 in the Lattice Graph platform

Polymorph comparison, confidence scoring, supply-chain risk, and patent monitoring — across 53 integrated data sources.

Explore the Platform →