Pressure-induced hydration and order-disorder transition in a synthetic potassium gallosilicate zeolite with gismondine topology

Two high-pressure phases of a potassium gallosilicate with a gismondine framework (K-GaSi-GIS) were characterized using Rietveld refinements of in-situ high-pressure, high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data. The observed response of the K-GaSi-GIS framework under hydrostatic pressure is a gradual flattening of the so-called "double crankshaft" structural chain units. At pressures below 1.0(1) GPa, additional water molecules from the hydrostatic pressure-transmitting medium are inserted into the potassium-water guest network ("pressure-induced hydration") resulting in a "super-hydrated" high-pressure phase I. As the flattening of the double crankshaft structural units in the GIS framework continues above 1.6 GPa, the ellipticity of the cross-linking 8-ring windows is reduced below a certain threshold, and a disordering of the potassium-water guest structure along the 8-ring channel, characteristic of a disordered high-pressure phase II, is observed. The concerted framework distortion and guest network disordering accommodates the increased hydration level while maintaining the seven-fold coordination environment of the potassium cations to framework oxygen atoms and water molecules. We have thus established the atomistic details of a guest-host order-disorder transition under pressure-induced hydration conditions in a zeolite with GIS framework and compared it to other zeolites during pressure-induced hydration. We find that the structural changes mediated by the extra-framework cations and their coordination environment under PIH conditions are at the core of these different mechanisms and are driving the changes in the ellipticity of pore openings, order-disorder and disorder-order transitions, and framework distortions.     

The high-pressure phase transition of TiS2 from first-principles calculations

The structural stability of TiS₂ under high pressures has been investigated by using first-principles plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory within the local density approximation (LDA). The obtained results predict that TiS₂ undergoes a pressure-induced first-order phase transition from its trigonal 1T-type structure to orthorhombic cotunnite-type structure at 16.20 GPa. The calculated transition pressure agrees quite well with the experimental finding of 20.7 GPa. The equation of state determined from our calculated results yields bulk moduli of 58.91 and 118.10 GPa for the 1T-type and cotunnite-type phases, respectively. This indicates higher incompressibility of the high-pressure phase of TiS₂. In addition, the electronic structures of the two phases of TiS₂ are also calculated and discussed. The results suggest the structural phase transition of TiS₂ at high pressure is followed by a semimetal to metal electronic transition.     

First-principles study of structural and vibrational properties of crystalline silver azide under high pressure

A detailed first-principles study of the structural and vibrational properties of crystalline silver azide under hydrostatic pressure of 0–500 GPa has been performed with density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation. The crystal structure is relaxed to allow ionic configurations, cell shape, and volume to change without any symmetry constraints. It is found that the silver azide crystal remains orthorhombic structure with Ibam space group for pressures up to 7 GPa, where there is a transition to an I4/mcm tetragonal symmetry. The lattice parameter and electronic structure are investigated as functions of pressure. The calculated vibrational frequencies at ambient pressure are in agreement with available experimental data. We also discuss the pressure-induced frequency shifts for the internal and lattice modes of silver azide crystal upon compression.     

High-pressure phase transitions of Cu2O

In the present study, we extensively explored the crystal structures of Cu₂O on increasing the pressure from 0 GPa to 24 GPa using the first-principles density functional calculations. A series of pressure-induced structure phase transitions of Cu₂O are examined. The calculated results show that the phase transitions (Pn-3m phase → R-3m phase → P-3m1 phase) occur at 5 GPa and 12 GPa, respectively. The P-3m1 phase is found to be the metallic phase via band-gap closure under high pressure.     

Heavy metal immobilization in aqueous solution using calcium phosphate and calcium hydrogen phosphates

This study examines the possibilities for removing heavy metal cations from water with calcium phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and calcium dihydrogen phosphate at 293 K. It was reported that immobilization of aqueous heavy metal cations, which is known to be one of the characteristic properties of calcium hydroxyapatite, proceeded favorably with these phosphates. Calcium phosphate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, and calcium dihydrogen phosphate could favorably remove Pb2+ from aqueous solution. Calcium hydrogen phosphate also removed aqueous Cu2+, Co2+, and Cd2+, whereas these cations were not immobilized by calcium phosphate and calcium dihydrogen phosphate. A contribution of the dissolution-precipitation mechanism to immobilization with these phosphates is suggested.     

High pressure behavior of α-NaVO3: A Raman scattering study

The reported pressure-induced amorphization in α-NaVO₃ has been re-investigated using Raman spectroscopy. Discontinuous changes are noted in the Raman spectrum above 5.6 GPa implying large structural changes across the transition. The decrease in frequency of the V-O stretching mode across the transition suggests that the vanadium atom may be in octahedral coordination in the high pressure phase. Excessive broadening of the internal modes is observed above 6 GPa. New peaks characteristic of a crystalline phase gain in intensity at higher pressures in the bending modes region; however, the transformation is not complete even at 13 GPa. Co-existence of phases is noted over a significant pressure range above the onset of transition. Pressure released spectrum is found to be a mixture of crystalline α-phase, traces of crystalline β-phase and highly disordered phase consisting of V-O units in five- and six-fold coordination.     

Structural properties and phase transitions in a silica clathrate

Melanophlogite, a low-pressure silica polymorph, has been extensively studied at different temperatures and pressures by molecular dynamics simulations. While the high-temperature form is confirmed as cubic, the low-temperature phase is found to be slightly distorted, in agreement with experiments. With increasing pressure, the crystalline character is gradually lost. At 8 GPa, the radial distribution function is consistent with an amorphous state. Like pristine glass, the topology changes, plastic behavior, and permanent densification appear above ～12 GPa, triggered by Si coordination number changes. We predict that a partial crystalline and amorphous sample can be obtained by recovering the sample from a pressure of ～12-16 GPa.     

Effects of ultra-high pressures (>3.6 GPa) on the electrical resistance of polyaniline by in situ FT-IR studies

Electrical resistance measurements and FT-IR spectroscopy of polyaniline were studied in situ under ultra-high pressures generated by a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The electrical resistance of polyaniline decreased as the pressure increased, exhibiting polaron conductor characteristics. Minimum electrical resistance was observed at 3.6 GPa, about three orders of magnitude smaller than that at 1.0 GPa. Changes in electrical resistance were reversible when the pressure was below 3.6 GPa. In situ FT-IR results showed that irreversible chemical changes of the quinoid units in polyaniline molecular chains took place when the pressure exceeded 3.6 GPa, giving rise to a huge increase in electrical resistance.     

"Stubborn" triaminotrinitrobenzene: unusually high chemical stability of a molecular solid to 150 GPa

We report an unexpectedly high chemical stability of molecular solid 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) under static high pressures. In contrast to the high-pressure behavior of the majority of molecular solids, TATB remains both chemically stable and an insulator to 150 GPa--well above the predicted metallization pressure of 120 GPa. Single crystal studies have shown that TATB exhibits pressure-induced Raman changes associated with two subtle structural phase transitions at 28 and 56 GPa. These phase transitions are accompanied by remarkable color changes, from yellow to orange and to dark red with increasing pressure. We suggest that the high-stability of TATB arises as a result of its hydrogen-bonded aromatic two-dimensional (2D) layered structure and highly repulsive interlayer interaction, hindering the formation of 3D networks or metallic states.     

Modulated structure and molecular dissociation of solid chlorine at high pressures

Among diatomic molecular halogen solids, high pressure structures of solid chlorine (Cl(2)) remain elusive and least studied. We here report first-principles structural search on solid Cl(2) at high pressures through our developed particle-swarm optimization algorithm. We successfully reproduced the known molecular Cmca phase (phase I) at low pressure and found that it remains stable up to a high pressure 142 GPa. At 150 GPa, our structural searches identified several energetically competitive, structurally similar, and modulated structures. Analysis of the structural results and their similarity with those in solid Br(2) and I(2), it was suggested that solid Cl(2) adopts an incommensurate modulated structure with a modulation wave close to 2∕7 in a narrow pressure range 142-157 GPa. Eventually, our simulations at >157 GPa were able to predict the molecular dissociation of solid Cl(2) into monatomic phases having body centered orthorhombic (bco) and face-centered cubic (fcc) structures, respectively. One unique monatomic structural feature of solid Cl(2) is the absence of intermediate body centered tetragonal (bct) structure during the bco → fcc transition, which however has been observed or theoretically predicted in solid Br(2) and I(2). Electron-phonon coupling calculations revealed that solid Cl(2) becomes superconductors within bco and fcc phases possessing a highest superconducting temperature of 13.03 K at 380 GPa. We further probed the molecular Cmca → incommensurate phase transition mechanism and found that the softening of the A(g) vibrational (rotational) Raman mode in the Cmca phase might be the driving force to initiate the transition.     

Pressure-induced splitting and buckling of Cu-O chains in the low-dimensional structure of SrCuO2

A pressure-induced splitting of the Cu-O chains was found in SrCuO2 at pressures >7 GPa and room temperature. The high-pressure phase is a superstructure of the infinite-layered tetragonal superconducting phase of SrCuO2 and is not stable under ambient conditions. The Cu-O chains buckle with further increasing pressure, and a new high-density polymorph of SrCuO2 is formed at 34.2 GPa.     

Structural and vibrational properties of solid nitromethane under high pressure by density functional theory

The structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of solid nitromethane under hydrostatic pressure of up to 20 GPa have been studied using density functional theory. The changes of cell volume, the lattice constants, and the molecular geometry of solid nitromethane under hydrostatic loading are examined, and the bulk modulus B0 and its pressure derivative B0' are fitted from the volume-pressure relation. Our theoretical results are compared with available experiments. The change of electron band gap of nitromethane under high pressure is also discussed. Based on the optimized crystal structures, the vibrational frequencies for the internal and lattice modes of the nitromethane crystal at ambient and high pressures are computed, and the pressure-induced frequency shifts of these modes are discussed.     

Pressure-induced phase transitions in LiNH2

In situ high-pressure Raman spectroscopy studies on LiNH2 (lithium amide) have been performed at pressures up to 25 GPa. The pressure-induced changes in the Raman spectra of LiNH2 indicates a phase transition that begins at approximately 12 GPa is complete at approximately 14 GPa from ambient-pressure alpha-LiNH2 (tetragonal, I) to a high-pressure phase denoted here as beta-LiNH2. This phase transition is reversible upon decompression with the recovery of the alpha-LiNH2 phase at approximately 8 GPa. The N-H internal stretching modes (nu([NH2]-)) display an increase in frequency with pressure, and a new stretching mode corresponding to high-pressure beta-LiNH2 phase appears at approximately 12.5 GPa. Beyond approximately 14 GPa, the N-H stretching modes settle into two shouldered peaks at lower frequencies. The lattice modes show rich pressure dependence exhibiting multiple splitting and become well-resolved at pressures above approximately 14 GPa. This is indicative of orientational ordering [NH2]- ions in the lattice of the high-pressure beta-LiNH2 phase.     

Raman scattering study on pressure-induced phase transformation of marokite (CaMn2O4)

An in-situ Raman Spectroscopic study was conducted to explore the pressure-induced phase transformation of CaMn₂O₄ to pressures of 73.7 GPa. Group theory yields 24 Raman active modes for CaMn₂O_4, of which 20 are observed at ambient conditions. With the slight compression below 5 GPa, the pressure-induced contraction compensates the structural distortion induced by a Jahn–Teller (JT) effect, resulting in the occurrence of the zero pressure shifts of the JT-related Raman modes. Upon elevation of pressure to nearby 35 GPa, these Raman modes start to display a significant variation in pressure shift, implying the appearance of a pressure-induced phase transformation. Group factor analyses on all possible structure polymorphs indicate that the high-pressure phase is preferentially assigned to an orthorhombic structure, having the CaTi₂O₄ structure. The cooperative JT distortion is continuously reduced in the CaMn₂O₄ polymorph up to 35 GPa. Beyond 35 GPa, it is found that the JT effect was completely suppressed by pressure in the newly formed high-pressure phase. Upon release of pressure, this high-pressure phase transforms to the original CaMn₂O₄ phase, and continuously remains stable to ambient conditions.     

Probing the Structural Stability of and Enhanced CO2 Storage in MOF MIL‐68(In) under High Pressures by FTIR Spectroscopy

The unique structural topology of metal–organic framework (MOF) MIL‐68, featuring two types of channels with distinct pore sizes, makes it a promising candidate for application in gas storage and separation. In this study, the behavior of as‐made and activated MIL‐68(In) was investigated in a diamond‐anvil cell under high pressure by in situ IR spectroscopy. The framework exhibits high stability under compression up to 9 GPa, whereas the bridging OH groups appear to be very sensitive to compression. Pressure‐induced structural modifications were found to be completely reversible for as‐made MIL‐68(In) but irreversible for the activated framework. Moreover, the addition of Nujol as pressure‐transmitting medium makes the framework more resilient to pressure. Finally, when loaded with CO₂, the framework exhibited interesting differential binding affinities with CO₂ in the hexagonal and triangular pores at different pressures. The pressure‐enhanced CO₂ storage behavior and the guest–host interaction mechanism between CO₂ and the MOF framework were explored with the aid of Monte Carlo simulations. These studies demonstrated great potential for MIL‐68(In) in gas‐storage applications that require extreme loading pressures.     

High-pressure vibrational spectroscopy of energetic materials: hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine

Vibrational spectroscopy has been used to investigate the room-temperature high-pressure phases of the energetic material hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX). The pressure-induced alterations in the spectral profiles were studied in a compression sequence to 30.2 GPa using Raman spectroscopy and to 26.6 GPa using far-infrared spectroscopy. At pressures near 4.0 GPa, several changes become immediately apparent in the Raman spectrum, such as large frequency shifts, mode splittings, and intensity changes, which are associated with a phase transition from alpha-RDX to gamma-RDX. Our study extends the kinetic stability of gamma-RDX to pressures near 18.0 GPa. Evidence for a new phase was found at pressures between 17.8 and 18.8 GPa and is based on the appearance of new vibrational bands and associated changes in intensity patterns. The new phase has vibrational characteristics that are similar to those of beta-RDX, suggesting the two polymorphs share a related crystal structure.     

Metallization of solid hydrogen: the challenge and possible solutions

The search for the means to convert molecular hydrogen to a metal under static conditions at high pressure is reviewed with emphasis on selected recent developments in both experimental studies and theoretical approaches. One approach suggested recently makes use of mixtures of hydrogen and suitable impurities. In these materials hydrogen is perturbed by impurities with the goal of obtaining the metallization of hydrogen at moderate pressures. This approach has also been extensively examined through the use of first-principles methods and we review this recently explored experimental approach and several theoretical studies that have provided an atomic-scale picture of the interaction of hydrogen with impurities under pressure. The objective of this novel approach is to help determine if metallization of hydrogen at pressures is attainable with currently available experimental techniques.     

First-principles study of liquid gallium at ambient and high pressure

The static and dynamic properties of liquid Ga close to the melting line have been studied by first-principles molecular dynamics simulations at ambient and elevated pressure up to 5.8 GPa. Below 2.5 GPa, the nearest neighbor Ga-Ga separation shows little change, while the second and third coordination shells are compressed to shorter distances. This behavior is attributed to the gradual occupation of the interstitial sites. Detail analysis of the local geometry and dynamical behavior refutes the proposed existence of Ga(2) dimers in the liquid state. In fact, both the structure and electronic properties of the liquid are found to closely resemble that of the underlying Ga-II and Ga-III crystalline phases.     

High pressure Raman spectroscopy of single crystals of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)

To gain insight into the high-pressure polymorphism of RDX, an energetic crystal, Raman spectroscopy results were obtained for hydrostatic (up to 15 GPa) and non-hydrostatic (up to 22 GPa) compressions. Several distinct changes in the spectra were found at 4.0 +/- 0.3 GPa, confirming the alpha-gamma phase transition previously observed in polycrystalline samples. Detailed analyses of pressure-induced changes in the internal and external (lattice) modes revealed several features above 4 GPa: (i) splitting of both the A' and A' ' internal modes, (ii) a significant increase in the pressure dependence of the Raman shift for NO2 modes, and (iii) no apparent change in the number of external modes. It is proposed that the alpha-gamma phase transition leads to a rearrangement between the RDX molecules, which in turn significantly changes the intermolecular interaction experienced by the N-O bonds. Symmetry correlation analyses indicate that the gamma-polymorph may assume one of the three orthorhombic structures: D2h, C2v, or D2. On the basis of the available X-ray data, the D2h factor group is favored over the other structures, and it is proposed that gamma-phase RDX has a space group isomorphous with a point group D2h with eight molecules occupying the C1 symmetry sites, similar to the alpha-phase. It is believed that the factor group splitting can account for the observed increase in the number of modes in the gamma-phase. Spatial mapping of Raman modes in a non-hydrostatically compressed crystal up to 22 GPa revealed a large difference in mode position indicating a pressure gradient across the crystal. No apparent irreversible changes in the Raman spectra were observed under non-hydrostatic compression.     

Pressure-induced crystal structure and spin-state transitions in magnetite (fe(3)o(4))

High pressure is an important dimension for the emergent phenomena in transition metal oxides, including high-temperature superconductivity, colossal magnetoresistance, and magnetoelectric coupling. In these multiply correlated systems, the interplay between lattice, charge, orbital, and spin is extremely susceptible to external pressure. Magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) is one of the oldest known magnetic materials and magnetic minerals, yet its high pressure behaviors are still not clear. In particular, the crystal structure of the high-pressure phase has remained contentious. Here, we investigate the pressure-induced phase transitions in Fe(3)O(4) from first-principles density-functional theory. It is revealed that the net magnetic moment, arising from two ferrimagnetically coupled sublattices in Fe(3)O(4), shows an abrupt drop when entering into the high-pressure phase but recovers finite value when the pressure is beyond 65.1 GPa. The origin lies in the redistribution of Fe 3d orbital occupation with the change of crystal field, where successive structural transitions from ambient pressure phase Fd3?m to high pressure phase Pbcm (at 29.7 GPa) and further to Bbmm (at 65.1 GPa) are established accurately. These findings not only explain the experimental observations on the structural and magnetic properties of the highly compressed Fe(3)O(4) but also suggest the existence of highly magnetized magnetite in the Earth's lower mantle.