Pressure-induced weak moment in the two-dimensional antiferromagnet (C2H5NH3)2CuCl4

Abstract

The two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet (C₂H₅NH₃)₂CuCl₄ has the ferromagnetic intralayer exchange interaction, while the extremely weak interlayer exchange interaction is antiferromagnetic. Neutron scattering experiments under high pressures have been performed on this compound. We confirm that the spin structure changes around 1～2 GPa from the collinear alignment along the a-axis to a spin-canting one. The weak moment due to the canting is parallel to the c-axis. The results indicate that the ferromagnetic intralayer and the antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange interactions are maintained up to 1～2 GPa. Why the weak ferromagnetic moment along the c-axis occurs is due to a lowering of crystal symmetry by pressure.     

Electrical properties and Tc of CaLaBaCu3Ox at pressures up to 9 GPa

Abstract

By means of a four-point resistivity method the critical temperature (T_c) of the tetragonal high temperature super-conductor CaLaBaCu₃O_x was studied for pressures up to 9 GPa. The pressure dependence of T_c is small and negative, dT_c/dp = - 0.77 K/GPa, and agrees with the general trend observed in previous data.     

Elastic and plastic deformation of NaCl and Ni3Al polycrystals during compression in a multi-anvil apparatus

Abstract

The compression behaviour in a multi-anvil apparatus of pure NaCl and of a foil of Ni₃Al embedded in a pressure medium of NaCl has been studied by energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction. At ambient temperature, the pressure and stresses, determined from line positions of NaCl, were constant throughout the sample chamber. Line positions and line widths of NaCl reflections were reversible on pressure release. A saturation of microstrains observed in NaCl at 2 GPa is thus attributed to brittle fracture setting in at uniaxial stresses of around 0.3 GPa. Ni₃Al polycrystals, in contrast, undergo extensive (ductile) plastic deformation above 4 GPa. The compression behaviour of both Ni₃Al and NaCl is identical to that previously determined in a diamond anvil cell. While a multi-anvil device thus has the advantage, compared with a diamond anvil cell, of constant pressure and stress throughout the sample chamber, microstrains in poly-crystalline samples arise in both devices. Samples in a multi-anvil apparatus thus need to be mixed with a pressure medium and to consist of essentially single crystals just as in a diamond anvil cell. Annealing experiments at high pressures confirm that the release of the uniaxial stress component in the pressure medium does not cause a release of microstrains in the embedded sample if the latter has been plastically deformed. Annealing for the purpose of attaining hydrostatic conditions in compression studies thus has to be carried out with care.     

Pressure-induced change of the interlayer exchange interaction from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic in CS2CuF4 observed by neutron scattering experiments up to 2 GPa

Abstract

Neutron scattering experiments on the two-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnets Cs₂ CuF₄ and K₂CuF₄ have been performed around 2 ～ 3 GPa over 1·4–15 K. At ambient pressure both the intralayer and the interlayer exchange interactions in these two compounds are ferromagnetic. At about 2 GPa, the interlayer exchange coupling in Cs₂ CuF₄ is found to change from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic, while the ferromagnetic intralayer exchange interaction is maintained. Contrary to Cs₂CuF₄, the ferromagnetism in K₂Cuf₄ is not destroyed by pressure up to 9 GPa, that was confirmed in the early study of the magnetic susceptibility measurements.     

Crystal structure of NaNO3 at high pressure

Abstract

Effect of high pressure on the crystal structure of rhombohedral NaNO₃ was investigated by X-ray diffraction of single crystals mounted in a miniature diamond-anvil cell on synchrotron radiation source. Diffraction intensity measurements were made at three pressures across a suggested transition pressure 4.3 GPa. No change was observed in an overall distribution of reflections in the reciprocal space with increasing pressure, but there was a systematic variation in diffraction intensity for particular groups of reflections. An analysis based on the structure factor calculation showed that a structure change induced by pressure is mainly a rotation of the nitrate groups in the alternate layers along the threefold axis in opposite directions. Least-squares refinement of the atomic positional parameters yielded the angle of the rotation to be 4.3 and 7.0 deg at pressures of 4.4 and 5.0 GPa, respectively. It has also been shown that the positions of the sodium and nitrogen atoms are slightly displaced along the axis, resulting in the formation of dipoles in the high pressure phase.     

Pressure and photo-induced phase transitions in sulphur investigated by Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

The phase transition of orthorhombic sulphur α-S₈ to a high pressure amorphous sulphur allotrope (a-S) has been investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The conversion is found to be induced by the absorption of laser light and can be discussed in terms of ring opening followed by cis-trans conversion of the dihedral angle of S₈ molecules. Laser energy and transition pressure are correlated due to the pressure tuned red shift of the absorption edge of α-S₈. The amorphous (a-S) phase is observed up to 15 GPa at laser intensities below 30μW/μm² at 514.5 and 488.0 nm. Above this threshold power a-S transforms into a second photo-induced phase (p-S), whose discrete Raman spectrum implies an ordered molecular and crystalline structure. By further increasing pressure crystalline S₆ can be created which is found to be the dominant molecular species at pressures above 10 GPa and low temperatures. A phase diagram in the range T < 300 K and p < 15 GPa is also presented.     

Brillouin and raman scattering from glasses under high pressure

Abstract

Brillouin and Raman Scattering Spectra in SiO₂ and GeO₂ glasses have been measured in a diamond anvil cell up to pressures of 14 GPa. The elastic properties and equation of state for each glass type were obtained from the Brillouin scattering measurements with respect to pressure. Both elastic constants and compressibility of SiO₂ and GeO₂ showed anomalous behavior with respect to pressure. This anomalous behavior is reconciled with a model based on the pressure dependent bending of the oxygen angles in both glass types. The Raman measurements corroborate the conclusions from the Brillouin scattering results, namely that the SiO₂ and GeO₂ bond angles are changing with pressure or the oxygen angle distribution is changed without bond breaking.     

Effect of pressure on the Yb valency in YbS and YbTe

Abstract

We have measured L_III-edge x-ray absorption spectra (L_III-XA) of Yb in YbS and YbTe and optical reflectivity spectra of YbTe at pressures up to 34 GPa. In both materials the Yb ion undergoes a continuous valence change. In the case of YbS, the pressure-induced variation of the Yb mean valence v(I_III) agrees well with previous optical and lattice parameter studies. For YbTe, however, the XA data indicate the onset of a valence transition at a lower pressure (～10 GPa) than observed in optical spectra (～16 GPa). This behavior is explained by larger hybridization effects between the chalcogen p-bands and 4f states in YbTe as compared to YbS.     

A high pressure Raman study of terbium molybdate

Abstract

Tb₂(MoO₄)₃ has been studied by Raman spectroscopy under hydrostatic pressure up to 9 GPa at room temperature. The measurements reveal two phase transitions, one at around 2 GPa and another one above 5 GPa. The first phase transition is associated with an increase in the coordination number of Mo while the second is probably a transition to an amorphous phase in which only a wide band originating from Mo-O vibrations remains. This behaviour is irreversible as the Raman spectrum of the initial structure is not recovered at atmospheric pressure.     

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction of SiO2 to multimegabar pressures

Abstract

α-Quartz was compressed at room temperature in a diamond-anvil cell without a medium to maximum pressures of 31 to 213 GPa and was studied by energy-dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Broad peaks observed in a previous high-pressure diffraction study of silica glass are evident in the present study of quartz compression, providing in situ confirmation of pressure-induced amorphization above 21 GPa. The 21-GPa crystalline-crystalline (quartz 1–11) transformation previously observed on quasihydrostatic compression of quartz is found to also occur under the current nonhydrostatic conditions, at the identical pressure. With nonhydrostatic compression, however, new sharp diffraction lines are observed at this pressure. The measurements show the coexistence of at least one amorphous and two crystalline phases above 21 GPa and below 43 GPa. The two crystalline phases are identified as quartz II and a new, high-pressure silica phase. The high-pressure phases, both crystalline and amorphous, can be quenched to ambient conditions from a maximum pressure of 43 GPa. With compression above 43 GPa, the diffraction pattern from quartz II is lost and the second crystalline phase persists to above 200 GPa.     

The effect of iron spin transition on electrical conductivity of (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowüstite

We measured the electrical conductivity of Mg_0.81Fe_0.19O magnesiowüstite, one of the important minerals comprising Earth’s lower mantle, at high pressures up to 135 GPa and 300 K in a diamond-anvil cell (DAC). The results demonstrate that the electrical conductivity increases with increasing pressure to about 60 GPa and exhibits anomalous behavior at higher pressures; it conversely decreases to around 80 GPa and again increases very mildly with pressure. These observed changes may be explained by the high-spin to low-spin transition of iron in magnesiowüstite that was previously reported to occur in a similar pressure range. A very small pressure effect on the electrical conductivity above 80 GPa suggests that a dominant conduction mechanism changes by this electronic spin transition. The electrical conductivity below 2000-km depth in the mantle may be much smaller than previously thought, since the spin transition takes place also in (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ perovskite.     

High pressure studies up to 50GPa of CuO

Abstract

Copper oxide has been studied at high pressure up to 50 GPa. A monoclinic structure was compatible with the measurements at all pressures, and no phase change was observed. A bulk modulus, B₀, = 98 GPa, and its pressure derivative B′₀ = 5.6 was obtained.     

A study on the formation and stability of quasicrystal in Al4Mn and Al6Cr

Abstract

The condition of the formation of quasicrystal in Al₄Mn and Al₆Cr under high static pressure has been investigated for the first time. I-phase and T-phase have been observed in electron diffraction experiment. The structures of Al₄Mn quenched at about 100 K/s are different under various pressure from 0.95GPa to 4.45GPa. The phase transition from I- and T-phase to crystal phase has also been investigated.     

Melting curve of NaCl0.5Br0.5 up to 4.5 GPa

Abstract

The melting curve of NaCl_0.5Br_0.5 has been measured under pressure up to 4.5 GPa. The melting temperatures of Ag and NaCl have been used to determine the pressure in the sample at its melting temperature.     

Phase transitions in poly(ethylene oxide) and polystyrene at high pressure

Abstract

The temperature and enthalpy of melting for poly(ethy1ene oxide) have, for the first time, been studied as a fuction of pressure up to 1 GPa by means of differential scanning calorimetry. The initial increase of the temperature of melting with increasing pressure is 64 K/GPa, whereas the enthalpy decreases by 40% in the 1 GPa pressure range. Using Clausius-Clapeyrons equation the volume change on melting is estimated to be 1.5 cm³/mol. The glass transition temperature T_g for polystyrene has also been studied by the same technique for pressures up to 0.1 GPa. The measurements show that T_g increases with increasing pressure by 250 K/GPa.     

Structural phase transition in Bi2Te3 under high pressure

Structural change in Bi₂Te₃ under high pressure up to 16.6 GPa has been studied by powder x-ray diffraction. We observed two times of phase transitions at room temperature at the pressures of 8 and 14 GPa, respectively. According to our preliminary result on electrical resistance, it is reasonable to suppose that superconducting transition with T _c =2.8 K at the pressures of 10.2 GPa is observed in phase II. On the other hand, we found anomalies of the pressure dependences of lattice parameters and volume at around 2 GPa, which probably means the change in electrical structure on the Fermi surface.     

Pressure-induced melting of charge-order in the self-doped mott insulator yttrium nickelate

The stability under pressure of the charge-density-wave in the insulating phase of YNiO₃ was studied by infrared spectroscopy and synchrotron diffraction techniques up to 23 GPa. YNiO₃ undergoes a pressure induced insulator-to-metal transition at approximately 15 GPa in the pressure domain, coinciding with the melting of the charge ordered phase. The optical band gap is non-zero above 15 GPa, as is the case above the reported insulator-metal transition (585 K) in the temperature-domain. There is a similarity between the infrared spectral profile around 15 GPa and the infrared spectral profile above ca. 700 K. We conclude therefore that the pressure-induced structural/electronic transition induced around 15 GPa, probably having an as-yet unreported counterpart in the temperature domain at a temperature in excess of 585 K.     

The formation and stability of quasicrystal in Al80Mn14Si6 under high static pressure

Abstract

The method of quenching in fusing state under high static pressure (MQFSHP) was applied for the first time to prepare the quasicrystal icosahedral phase of Al₈₀Mn₁₄Si₆ alloy. The pressure was from 2.8GPa to 3.1GPa and the cooling rate during quenching was of about 100°C/s. Some sharp electron diffraction spots showing an arrangement with a five-fold symmetry axis and noncrystalline ring have been observed in electron diffraction experiment.

The crystallization temperature of I phase obtained from high pressure(HP) is close to that of rapid cooling ribbon, but the cooling rate of the sample obtained is lower than that of rapid cooling ribbon.     

Distribution of light alkanes in the reaction of graphite hydrogenation at pressure of 0.1–7.8 GPa and temperatures of 1000–1350°C

ABSTRACT

We studied the effect of pressure and temperature on the hydrocarbon (HC) chain length distribution and total amount of HCs in the reaction of direct graphite hydrogenation at pressures of 0.1–7.8?GPa and temperatures of 1000–1350°C. An increase in pressure was found to lead both to an increase in the absolute yield of HCs due to direct graphite hydrogenation and to chain elongation of HC products. Light alkanes predominate among HCs in the entire studied range of P–T parameters. However, their concentration in quenched fluids increases as pressure is elevated, from less than 10?rel.% at 0.1?GPa to more than 40–50?rel.% at P?≥?3.8?GPa. Methane is actually the only light alkane among reaction products at 0.1?GPa and 1000°C, while it is a minor component at 7.8?GPa and 1350°C. The most stable alkane at pressures above 3.8?GPa is ethane (C₂H₆).     

High-pressure effect on inverse spinel LiCuVO4:X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering

The effect of external quasi-hydrostatic pressure on the inverse spinel structure of LiCuVO 4 was studied in this paper. High-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements were carried out at room temperature up to 35.7 and 40.3 GPa, respectively. At a pressure of about 20 GPa, both Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction results indicate that LiCuVO4 was transformed into a monoclinic phase, which remained stable up to at least 35.7 GPa. Upon release of pressure, the high-pressure phase returned to the initial phase. The pressure dependence of the volume of low pressure orthorhombic phase and high-pressure monoclinic phase were described by a second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, which yielded bulk modulus values of B 0 = 197(5) and 232(8) GPa, respectively. The results support the empirical suggestion that the oxide spinels have similar bulk modulus around 200 GPa.