---
title: "Look up a material"
method: POST
path: "/api/v1/lookup_material"
tags: ["chem"]
---

# Look up a material

`POST /api/v1/lookup_material`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://scholarmuse.ai`
- URL: `https://scholarmuse.ai/api/v1/lookup_material`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Find crystalline materials by formula, element set or material id across the Materials Project and OQMD (DFT-computed band gap, formation energy, stability) and the Crystallography Open Database (experimental structures with CIF download). Returns space group, lattice parameters and source links for each entry.

Discipline pack: chem. Cost: 2 credits per successful call.

## Request body

- object
  - `formula` string: Chemical formula, e.g. TiO2 or LiFePO4.
  - `elements` string[]: Element symbols; returns materials made of exactly these elements, e.g. ["Ti","O"].
  - `material_id` string: Materials Project id (mp-2657) or COD id (cod-1010942 or the 7-digit number).
  - `stable_only` boolean: Only thermodynamically stable computed phases (on the convex hull). Skips COD, which has no energies.
  - `limit` integer: Entries to return (default 10).

## Response `200`

The tool result.

- ToolResult
  - `summary` string, required
  - `billing` CreditStatus
    - `creditsRemaining` integer, nullable, required: Spendable, unexpired balance at checkedAt; null if refresh failed. Credits reserved by pending figures are excluded.
    - `status` 'ok' | 'low' | 'empty' | 'unavailable', required
    - `lowBalanceThreshold` integer, required
    - `topUpUrl` string, uri, required
    - `pricingUrl` string, uri, required
    - `checkedAt` string, date-time, required
    - `notice` string
  - `records` Record[]
    - `id` string, required
    - `type` string, required
    - `source` string, required
    - `title` string
    - `url` string
    - `license` string
    - `attribution` string
    - `retrievedAt` string, date-time, required
    - `data` object, required
  - `partial` boolean
  - `failedSources` object[]
    - `source` string
    - `error` string
  - `files` object[]
    - `name` string
    - `url` string
    - `mimeType` string
  - `extra` object
  - `credits_used` number, required
  - `call_id` string, required

## Other responses

- `400`: The call failed and was not charged.
- `401`: The call failed and was not charged.
- `402`: The call failed and was not charged.
- `429`: The call failed and was not charged.
- `502`: The call failed and was not charged.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/scholarmuse/apis/scholarmuse-rest-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/scholarmuse/apis/scholarmuse-rest-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/scholarmuse/apis/scholarmuse-rest-api/revisions/beafd92e4bfb?raw)