Pressure-induced phase transition of BaH2 : Post Ni2In phase

Up to now a Ni₂In structure is a final step in the structural sequence of ionic AX₂ compounds under high pressure. Powder X-ray diffraction experiments on BaH₂ were performed at room temperature and high pressures up to 69 GPa. Successive phase transformations were observed to occur in two stages. The first was from the cotunnite to the Ni₂In structure at 2.5 GPa. The second transition commenced at pressures around 50 GPa and was completed at 65 GPa. At the transition the arrangement of a cation sublattice changes from an hcp to a simple hexagonal lattice. This is the first observation of the post Ni₂In phase.     

Elastic and thermodynamic properties in CdO at high pressures from first-principles calculations

In this study, we report first-principles calculations of the elastic and thermodynamic properties for CdO in both the B1 (rocksalt) phase and B2 (cesium chloride) phase. The calculations are performed within the framework of density functional theory, using the pseudopotential plane-wave method. From the theoretical results, we find that the high pressure structural phase transition of CdO from B1 structure to B2 structure is 90.31 GPa. The calculated values are, generally speaking, in good agreement with experiments and with similar theoretical calculations. According to the quasi-harmonic Debye model, we investigate the sound velocity and Debye temperature of CdO under pressures in the range of 0<P<150 GPa.     

Structural instability of PbSe/SnSe superlattices under pressure

Abstract

PbSe/SnSe superlattice, phase transition, high pressure, SR x-ray diffraction)

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments have revealed successive phase transitions in epitaxially-grown PbSe/SnSe superlattices. The transition pressures from the low-pressre cubic B1- to the high-pressure orthorhombic B16-type structures are observed to vary systematically depending upon thickness of the PbSe layer. For example, a [PbSe(36A)/SnSe(12A)]₁₉, with the B1 structure in both layers stabilized in its asgrown state, undergoes the [B1/B1]-to-[B1/B16] and [B1/B16]-to-[B16/B16] structural transitions at 1.9 and 3.8GPa, respectively. This result is in contrast to their bulk data that the B1-to-B16 transition takes place at 5.3GPa in PbSe while the B16 phase is stable in SnSe at atmospheric pressure.     

Pressure dependence of electronic structure and magnetic properties in Fe16N2

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of Fe₁₆N₂ system and their pressure dependence were investigated by using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. It has been found that the total magnetic moment in Fe₁₆N₂ system decreases monotonically as increasing pressure from 0 to 14.6 GPa. A phase transition from ferromagnetic (FM) to non-magnetic (NM) occurs with a volume collapse of around 0.008  at 14.6 GPa, The lattice constants a and c for magnetic results decrease monotonically as pressure increasing from 0 to 14.6 GPa, at 14.6 GPa, the lattice constant a decreases sharply, on the contrary, the lattice constant c increases abruptly. We think that the change of microscopic structure of Fe₁₆N₂ is responsible for the phase transition from FM to NM.     

Equation of state and high-pressure irreversible amorphization in Y3Fe5O12

The change of crystal structure in yttrium iron garnet Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ was studied at room temperature at high pressures up to ∼55 GPa by the x-ray diffraction technique in diamond anvil cells. At a pressure of about ∼50 GPa, a drastic change in the x-ray diffraction pattern was observed indicating the transition into an amorphouslike state. When the pressure was increased, the bulk modulus of YIG was found to be 193 ± 4 GPa. It was also found that the amorphous state was retained after decompression down to ambient pressure. From the shape of x-ray patterns in the “amorphous” phase, it was concluded that the local atomic structure consists of iron-oxygen FeO₆ octahedral complexes with disordered orientations of local axis and of randomly arranged others ion fragments with the overall Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ composition. For the amorphous phase, it was evaluated that the bulk modulus of FeO₆ octahedral complexes is about 260 GPa. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

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.     

First-principles calculations of electronic and magnetic properties of Ni3Pd and Pd3Ni

Results of first-principles calculations of the electronic structure for the ordered compounds Ni₃Pd and Pd₃Ni at the equilibrium volume with L1₂ structure reveal that the Ni atoms carry an enhanced moment and that an induced moment is found on the Pd atoms. The Ni moment is higher in Pd₃Ni, whereas the Pd moment differs only slightly for these compounds. Large bulk moduli are found (341.34 GPa for Ni₃Pd and 314.35 GPa for Pd₃Ni), and an abrupt collapse of the magnetic moment is observed in Pd₃Ni under lattice compression. The results indicate good conductivity for these compounds as well as half-metallicity for Ni₃Pd.     

Pressure-induced transformations in crystalline and vitreous PbGeO3

Structural transitions in crystalline and vitreous PbGeO₃ were studied at pressures up to 20 GPa. Crystalline PbGeO₃ was observed to undergo a pressure-induced amorphization between 12–18 GPa. Vitreous PbGeO₃ was found to exhibit an amorphous-to-amorphous transition in a similar pressure range. The structural and thermal properties of the pressure-cycled PbGeO₃ materials were further studied with high-energy x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The properties were then compared to those of thermally quenched glass and ball-milled PbGeO₃ samples. The structure of pressure-amorphized PbGeO₃ was found to closely resemble that of ball-milled PbGeO₃. However, the thermal properties probed by differential scanning calorimetry exhibited significant differences to those of thermally quenched PbGeO₃ glass.     

High-pressure Raman and infrared study of ZrV 2O7

The room-temperature Raman and infrared spectra of zirconium vanadate (ZrV ₂O₇) were observed up to pressures of 12 GPa and 5.7 GPa, respectively. The frequencies of the optically active modes at ambient pressure were calculated using direct methods and compared with experimental values. Average mode Grüneisen parameters were calculated for the Raman and infrared active modes. Changes in the spectra under pressure indicate a phase transition at ∼1.6 GPa, which is consistent with the previously observed α (cubic) to β (pseudo-tetragonal) phase transition, and changes in the spectra at ∼4 GPa are consistent with an irreversible transformation to an amorphous structure.     

First-principles study of pressure effects on and

We have performed first-principles calculations to investigate the pressure effects on CaFe₂As₂ and BaFe₂As₂. Our calculations show that in CaFe₂As₂, the orthorhombic structure transforms to a collapsed tetragonal structure at 0.4 GPa with a volume collapse of 9.5%, which is in agreement with experiments. Together with the structural phase transition, CaFe₂As₂ undergoes a magnetic transition from the stripe antiferromagnetic ordering to the nonmagnetic state. For BaFe₂As₂, we predict that the orthorhombic structure transforms to the tetragonal structure at 9.4 GPa. Unlike CaFe₂As₂, the magnetic moments of Fe ions in BaFe₂As₂ are not zero and the stripe antiferromagnetic ordering transforms to the checkerboard antiferromagnetic ordering together with the structural phase transition. The stability of the orthorhombic structure up to 9.4 GPa suggests that superconductivity and magnetism coexist in BaFe₂As₂.     

An experimental exploration of chemical bond characteristic,bulk modulus and phase stability in ZnO:Cu nanocrystals under high pressure

The high pressure induced phase transitions in Zn_1−x Cu _x O (x=0.005 and 0.011) are investigated by angle-dispersive synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction. As the pressure increases, phase transformations from the wurtzite structure to the rocksalt structure are observed in both samples, with the transition pressures at 9.8 GPa and 7.9 GPa, respectively. With the increasing of the Cu-doping concentration in ZnO, crystalline parameters, the bulk moduli, and the Zn–O bond lengths all increased, meanwhile, the transition pressures decreased. The results could be explained in terms of the reduction of phase transformation barriers and the lowering of bond energy.     

X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy of monazite-structured CaSO4 at high pressures: Implications for shocked anhydrite

X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy of CaSO₄ are conducted to pressures of 28 and 25 GPa, respectively. A reversible phase transition to the monoclinic monazite-structure occurs gradually between 2 and ∼5 GPa with a highly pressure-dependent volume change of ∼6-8%. A second-order fit of the X-ray data to the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state yields a bulk modulus (K) of 151.2 (±21.4) GPa for the high-pressure monoclinic phase. In the high-pressure infrared spectrum, the infrared-active asymmetric stretching and bending vibrations of the sulfate tetrahedra split at the phase transition, in accord with the results of factor group analysis. Additionally, the tetrahedral symmetric stretching vibration, which is weak in the anhydrite phase, becomes strongly resolved at the transition to the monazite structure. The infrared results indicate that the sulfate tetrahedra are more distorted in the monazite-structured phase than in anhydrite. Kinetic calculations indicate that the anhydrite to monazite transformation may generate the phase transition observed near 30 GPa under shock loading in CaSO₄. Our results indicate that the anhydrite- and monazite-structured phases may be the only phases that occur under shock loading of CaSO₄ to pressures in excess of 100 GPa.     

Structural phase transitions in brookite-type TiO2 under high pressure

We have studied polycrystalline brookite TiO₂ using energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction at pressures up to 27.8 GPa and derived an ambient-pressure bulk modulus of 255 GPa using Birch-Murnaghan's equations of state with a fixed value of 4 as its first derivative. The transition from brookite-type to baddeleyite-type was observed to start at 15.8 GPa and finished at 22.8 GPa. Upon decompression, the α-PbO₂ structure appeared at 3.5 GPa and the baddeleyite-type structure remained down to 1.6 GPa, the lowest pressure in the present work.     

Pressure-induced semiconductor–metal phase transition in Mg2Si

In situ electrical resistivity measurement of powdered Mg₂Si has been performed in a diamond anvil cell up to 25.4 GPa. At about 22.2 GPa, Mg₂Si underwent a pressure-induced semiconductor–metal phase transition that took place in the Ni₂In-type structure rather than the anti-fluorite structure predicted theoretically. The other phases (anti-fluorite and anti-cotunnite) belong to the semiconductor phase.     

High pressure phase transition in metallic LaB6: Raman and X-ray diffraction studies

High pressure Raman and angle dispersive X-ray diffraction (ADXRD) measurements on the metallic hexaboride LaB₆ have been carried out upto the pressures of about 20 GPa. The subtle phase transition around 10 GPa indicated in Raman measurements is confirmed by ADXRD experiments to be a structural change from cubic to orthorhombic phase. Ab-initio electronic band structure calculations using full potential linear augmented plane wave method carried out as a function of pressure show that this transition is driven by the interception of Fermi level by electronic band minimum around the transition pressure.     

New cubic phase of Li3N: stability of the N3- ion to 200 GPa

Diamond-anvil cell experiments augmented by first-principles calculations have found a remarkable stability of the N(3-) ion in Li3N to a sixfold volume reduction. A new (gamma) phase is discovered above 40(+/-5) GPa, with an 8% volume collapse and a band gap quadrupling at the transition determined by synchrotron x-ray diffraction and inelastic x-ray scattering. gamma-Li(3)N (Fm3m, Li(3)Bi-like structure) remains stable up to 200 GPa, and calculations do not predict metallization until approximately 8 TPa. The high structural stability, wide band gap, and simple electronic structure make this N(3-) based system analogous to lower valency compounds (MgO, NaCl, Ne), meriting its use as an internal pressure standard.     

Comparative Study on Pressure-Induced Structural Changes between C 6 O 2 I 4 and C 6 I 6

We have investigated the pressure effects on the structural properties of C 6 O 2 I 4 up to 39 GPa by powder x-ray diffraction measurements, which were compared with those of C 6 I 6 . The diffraction patterns of C 6 O 2 I 4 indicated a phase transition starting at 26.8 GPa. The mixed state of the low- and high-pressure phases continued up to 39 GPa well above an insulator-to-metal transition pressure of 33 GPa. The C 6 O 2 I 4 molecule remains planar structure in the low-pressure phase below 26.8 GPa in contrast to the non-planar molecular structure of C 6 I 6 at ambient and high pressures.     

High-pressure synthesis, amorphization, and decomposition of silane

By compressing elemental silicon and hydrogen in a diamond anvil cell, we have synthesized polymeric silicon tetrahydride (SiH(4)) at 124 GPa and 300 K. In situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction reveals that the compound forms the insulating I4(1)/a structure previously proposed from ab initio calculations for the high-pressure phase of silane. From a series of high-pressure experiments at room and low temperature on silane itself, we find that its tetrahedral molecules break up, while silane undergoes pressure-induced amorphization at pressures above 60 GPa, recrystallizing at 90 GPa into the polymeric crystal structures.     

Equation of state for technetium from X‐ray diffraction and first-principle calculations

The ambient temperature equation of state (EoS) of technetium metal has been measured by X-ray diffraction. The metal was compressed using a diamond anvil cell and using a 4:1 methanol-ethanol pressure transmitting medium. The maximum pressure achieved, as determined from the gold pressureEquation of state for technetium from X-ray diffraction and first-principle calculations scale, was 67 GPa. The compression data shows that the HCP phase of technetium is stable up to 67 GPa. The compression curve of technetium was also calculated using first-principles total-energy calculations. Utilizing a number of fitting strategies to compare the experimental and theoretical data it is determined that the Vinet equation of state with an ambient isothermal bulk modulus of B_0T=288 GPa and a first pressure derivative of B′=5.9(2) best represent the compression behavior of technetium metal.     

Structural studies of phase transitions in crystalline and liquid halides (ZnCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>, AlCl<Subscript>3</Subscript>) under pressure

The results of investigating the phase diagrams of ZnCl₂ and AlCl₃ halides, as well as the structure of the shortrange order of the corresponding melts under pressures up to 6.5 GPa, by the method of energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction are reported. When a ZnCl₂ crystal is compressed, a phase transition occurs from the γ phase (HgI₂ structure type) to the δ phase (distorted CdI₂ structure, WTe₂ type). The structural studies of the liquid state of ZnCl₂ and AlCl₃ indicate that the intermediate-range order decreases rapidly in the tetrahedral network of both melts as the pressure increases to 1.8 and 2.3 GPa for ZnCl₂ and AlCl₃, respectively. With further compression, the transitions in both melts occur with a change in the structure of the short-range order and with an increase in the coordination number. In this case, the transition in AlCl₃ occurs at ≈4 GPa and is a sharp first order transition, whereas the transition in ZnCl₂ occurs more smoothly in a pressure range of 2–4 GPa with a maximum intensity near 3 GPa. Thus, the AlCl₃ and ZnCl₂ compounds exemplify the existence of two phenomena—gradual decay of intermediate-range structural correlations and a sharper liquid-liquid coordination transition.