The crystal structure of Rb2CdCl4 in para- and ferroelastic phases

Abstract

The crystal structure of Rb₂CdCl₄ has been studied by X-ray diffraction at 295 and 160 K in the initial phase D ¹⁷ _4h as well as at 105 K in the ferroelastic phase. It was found that the phase transition D ¹⁷ _4h ? D ¹⁰ _2h takes place instead of D ¹⁷ _4h ? D ¹⁸ _2h as proposed earlier. The first of the transitions corresponds to unequal and the second to equal Φ-tilts of CdCl₆-octahedra around the a and b axes of the tetragonal unit cell.     

Effects of the phase transition in Hg2(Br,I)2 crystals

The effects of the phase transition in Hg₂(Br,I)₂ crystals have been investigated over a wide range of temperatures by the Raman scattering spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The overtones (at the X point of the Brillouin zone boundary) and the fundamental tones (at the center of Brillouin zone) of soft modes are found in the Raman spectra of these crystals and studied in detail. The density of one-phonon states of the soft TA branch manifests itself in the Raman spectra of mixed crystals. The potentialities of the soft-mode spectroscopy are realized in full measure. Analysis of the ratio between intensities of overtones and fundamental tones of the soft modes has demonstrated the applicability of the Landau phenomenological theory of phase transitions. The orthorhombic splitting of the reflections corresponding to the basal plane is revealed in the X-ray diffraction patterns and thoroughly explored. The temperature dependences of the isotropic and shear spontaneous strains are obtained. It is shown that the shear spontaneous strain plays a decisive role. The critical indices are determined and the model of the improper ferroelastic phase transition D _4h ¹⁷ → D _2h ¹⁷ in the vicinity of the tricritical point is corroborated.     

A high pressure Raman study of TeO2 to 30 GPa and pressure-induced phase changes

The effect of pressure on the Raman modes in TeO₂ (paratellurite) has been investigated to 30GPa, using the diamond cell and argon as pressure medium. The pressure dependence of the Raman modes indicates four pressure-induced phase transitions near 1 GPa, 4.5 GPa, 11 GPa and 22 GPa. Of these the first is the well studied second-order transition fromD ₄ ⁴ symmetry toD ₂ ⁴ symmetry, driven by a soft acoustic shear mode instability. The remarkable similarity in the Raman spectra of phases I to IV suggest that only subtle changes in the structure are involved in these phase transitions. The totally different Raman spectral features of phase V indicate major structural changes at the 22GPa transition. It is suggested that this high pressure-phase is similar to PbCl₂-type, from high pressure crystal chemical considerations. The need for a high pressure X-ray diffraction study on TeO₂ is emphasized, to unravel the structure of the various high pressure phases in the system.     

Phase transitions in RbCaF3. I: Optical studies

Phase transitions in RbCaF₃ have been investigated by optical birefringence measurements and Raman scattering experiments. A near discontinuity in the onset of spontaneous birefringence at 196 K shows that the cubic to tetragonal phase change is “slightly” first order. The Raman spectra of the tetragonal phase support a D¹⁸_4h structure in which two phonons of A_1g and E_g symmetry soften as the 196 K transition is approached from lower temperatures. A very slow transition to a lower symmetry structure was observed at about 42 K in the Raman measurements.     

High pressure X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic studies of the phase change of D2O ice VII at approximately 11 GPa

High pressure experiments were performed on D₂O ice VII using a diamond anvil cell in a pressure range of 2.0–60 GPa at room temperature. In situ X-ray diffractometry revealed that the structure changed from cubic to a low symmetry phase at approximately 11 GPa, based on the observed splitting of the cubic structure's diffraction lines. Heating treatments were added for the samples to reduce the effect of non-hydrostatic stress. After heating, splitting diffraction lines became sharp and the splitting was clearly retained. Although symmetry and structure of the transformed phase have not been determined, change in volumes vs. pressure was calculated, assuming that the low-symmetry phase had a tetragonal structure. The bulk modulus calculated for the low-symmetry phase was slightly larger than that for the cubic structure. In Raman spectroscopy, the squared vibrational frequencies of ν₁ (A_1g), as a function of pressure, showed a clear change in the slope at 11–13 GPa. The full width at half maxima of the O-D modes decreased with increasing pressure, reaching a minimum at approximately 11 GPa, and increased again above 11 GPa. These results evidently support the existence of phase change at approximately 11 GPa for D₂O ice VII.     

Evidence of an ion-beam induced crystalline-to-crystalline phase transformation in hafnia

Samples of monoclinic hafnia were irradiated with increasing fluences of 800 and 300 MeV Kr ions giving rise to a slowing down essentially caused by high electronic excitations. Their structural evolution was monitored in situ by the X-ray diffraction technique. The results indicate, for the first time to our knowledge, the occurrence in monoclinic hafnia of an ion-beam induced crystalline-to-crystalline phase transition. The new formed phase is very likely tetragonal and appears with an effective threshold in the deposited electronic energy loss which is around 20 keV nm^-1. In addition, the evolution of the amount of the produced phase with the ion fluence exhibits a sigmoidal shape suggesting a mechanism for phase transformation which needs two ion impacts. Some features of this phase transition are compared with those obtained in the case of zirconia, a well-known isomorphic material with hafnia.Received: 6 June 2003, Published online: 9 September 2003PACS: 61.80.Jh Ion radiation effects - 61.82.Ms Insulators - 64.70.Kb Solid-solid transitions     

Raman and X‐ray investigations of the incorporation of Ca2+ and Cd2+ in the ZrO2 structure

The formation of solid solution and ZrO₂ phase stabilization were investigated by Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) in calcium‐containing and cadmium‐containing zirconium oxide samples heated at 1073 K in air. The adopted preparation procedure led to the incorporation of calcium and cadmium in solid solution into the zirconia structure. The solid solution favored the tetragonal and cubic zirconia phases at the expense of the thermodynamically stable monoclinic modification. Combined macro‐ and micro‐Raman spectroscopy disclosed that instead of forming a homogeneous phase t″, intermediate between the tetragonal t′ and the cubic phase, the tetragonal and cubic phases coexisted in the range 9.49–13.89 mol% for Ca and 11.88–17.23 mol% for Cd. At higher dopant contents the cubic form stabilized. The impurity content necessary to stabilize the high‐symmetry phases was defined. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pressure dependence of the Raman spectra of indium sulphide

Raman spectra of InS single crystals have been studied at different hydrostatic pressures up to 1.2 GPa. Mode-Grüneisen parameters have been obtained for Raman-active normal modes. It is shown that the variations observed in Raman spectra with growing pressure can be interpreted from the standpoint of the structural phase transition D¹²_2h → D¹⁷_4h in InS as the hydrostatic pressure continues to increase. The transition pressure has been evaluated at (7 ± 1) GPa.     

Differential scanning calorimetry of phase transitions in (CnH2n+1NH3)2MnCl4 compounds

A second order phase transition between the space groups D¹⁸_2h and D¹⁷_4hleads to the high temperature tetragonal phase of (CH₃NH₃)₂MnCl₄. Similar transitions to tetragonal phases exist also in the ethyl- and propyl-compounds. Transition temperature increase with an increasing carbon chain length. Very low ΔH- and ΔS-values are compatible with a transition model obtained from nuclear resonance experiments. Further thermoanalytical results bear evidence on the complex role of alkyl-ammonium groups.     

Structural phase transitions during high-energy ball milling of BaTiO3

Microstructural characterization of ball milled perovskite BaTiO₃ powders has been done by the modeling of X-ray diffraction profiles. The study reveals that on size reduction, BaTiO₃ powders undergo a continuous, displacive, and diffusionless dynamic phase transitions involving tetragonal (T), monoclinic (M), and orthorhombic (O) symmetry via the second-order type [T?→?(T?+?M)?→?(M?+?O)?→?O] when stimulated by a high-power pulse of pressure in a planetary mill. The order parameter, a phenomenological quantity to describe the general behavior of a system going through phase transitions has been estimated using spontaneous strain calculated from lattice parameters or physical distortions derived from atomic coordinates or both. At room temperature, BaTiO₃ nanoparticle achieved an orthorhombic phase when a critical size (<15?nm) has been reached at later stage of milling (≥70?h). Raman's study reveals similar structural phase transitions sequence on size reduction and TEM study reveals the corresponding particle diameter.     

Evidence of the surface layer in tungstated zirconia

We characterized the structure of tungstated zirconia (WO_x–ZrO₂) by combining X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and High Resolution Electron Microscopy (HREM) together with molecular simulations. Our results indicate that the structure of this material consists of metastable tetragonal ZrO₂ nanoparticles (<20 nm in diameter) covered by a few-nanometers thick low-crystallinity surface layer formed by tungsten oxospecies (WO_x). Although the X-ray diffraction pattern matched the spectra of the tetragonal ZrO₂ bulk phase the lattice fringes of the ZrO₂ nanoparticles observed by HREM were locally distorted, presumably as a result of the interaction with the surface WO_x layer. The local interplanar distances of the surface layer were close to those present in different bulk tungsten oxocompounds, and its variability was also an indication of the WO_x–ZrO₂ interaction. Molecular simulations corroborated our structural assignment. The results presented here are a direct evidence for the presence of a surface WO_x layer in the case of WO_x–ZrO₂. PACS 68.35.Bs; 81.05.Ys; 82.65.Dp     

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.     

Crystallographic and magnetic properties of TbCrO4 at low temperature (x-ray and neutron experiments)

The TbCrO₄ zircon-like compound was investigated by X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments in the 4.2–300 K temperature range. It first undergoes a second order phase transition at about 48 K from a tetragonal symmetry: Ia₁/4amd(D¹⁹_4h) to an orthorhombic one: F₂₂₂ (D²⁴_2h). The local symmetry of the Tb³⁺ site is lowered from D_2d to D₂. At 22.8 K, TbCrO₄ undergoes a transition from a paramagnetic phase to a collinear ferromagnetic spin arrangement in the basal plane which is in good agreement with the F₂₂₂ space group. The Tb³⁺ and Cr⁵⁺ magnetic moments are 7.64 and 0.97μ_B respectively.     

Spectroscopic study of the behavior of the order parameter in model ferroelastic crystals of Hg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cl<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Information is obtained about the temperature behavior of the order parameter of a phase transition by theoretical and experimental investigation of odd (acoustic and IR-active) phonons that appear in the Raman scattering spectra from the X points of the Brillouin zone (BZ) boundary in the paraphase of Hg₂Cl₂ crystals and are induced by the phase transition, unit-cell doubling, and the X → Γ folding in the BZ. The relevant critical exponents are determined, whose values are in agreement with the results of X-ray diffraction measurements and, within the Landau phenomenological theory of phase transitions, indicate that the phase transition in these crystals is close to the tricritical point.     

Photo-and pressure-induced transformations in the linear orthorhombic polymer of C<Subscript>60</Subscript>

Stability of the linear orthorhombic polymer of C₆₀ under pressure and laser irradiation is studied by Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction measurements. The Raman spectrum at ambient pressure remains unchanged, in the time scale of the experiment, up to an intensity of 3200 W/cm² of the 514.5 nm line of an Ar⁺ laser, but irreversible changes are observed at higher intensities. The Raman spectra recorded at increased pressure show similar irreversible changes even at the laser intensity as low as 470 W/cm². The X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements of the pressure-treated samples, performed after pressure release, show that the nonirradiated material does not exhibit any changes in the crystal structure and phonon spectra. This behavior indicates a pressure-enhanced photo-induced transformation to a new polymeric phase characterized by a Raman spectrum that differs from those of the other known polymeric phases of C₆₀. The Raman spectra of the phototransformed linear orthorhombic polymer of C₆₀ were measured at a pressure of up to 29 GPa. The pressure dependence of the Raman mode frequencies show singularities near 4 GPa and 15 GPa, respectively, related to a reversible phase transition and an irreversible transformation to a metastable disordered phase. The diffuse Raman spectrum of the disordered phase does not exhibit substantial changes with an increase in pressure up to 29 GPa. The high-pressure phase transforms to a mixture of pristine and dimerized C₆₀, after pressure release and exposure to ambient conditions for 30 h. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

In situ observations of temperature- and pressure-induced phase transitions in TiH2: Angle-dispersive and synchrotron energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction studies

We investigated the behavior of the structure of titanium hydride (TiH₂), an important compound in hydrogen storage research, at elevated temperatures (0-120 °C) and high pressures (1 bar-34 GPa). Temperature-induced changes of TiH₂ as indicated in the alteration of the ambient X-ray demonstrated a cubic to tetragonal phase transition occurring at about 17 °C. The main focus of this study was to identify any pressure-induced structural transformations, including possible phase transitions, in TiH₂. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies were carried out in situ (diamond anvil cell) in a compression sequence up to 34 GPa and in subsequent decompression to ambient pressure. The pressure evolution of the diffraction patterns revealed a cubic (Fm-3m) to tetragonal (I4/mmm) phase transition at 2.2 GPa. The high-pressure phase persisted up to 34 GPa. After decompression to ambient conditions the observed phase transition was completely reversible. A Birch-Murnaghan fit of the unit cell volume as a function of pressure yielded a zero-pressure bulk modulus K₀=146(14) GPa, and its pressure derivative K′₀=6(1) for the high-pressure tetragonal phase of TiH₂.     

Equation of state of boron subarsenide B12As2 to 47 GPa

Compressibility of boron subarsenide B₁₂As₂ has been studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction up to 47?GPa at room temperature in a diamond anvil cell using Ne pressure transmitting medium. A fit of experimental p–V data by Vinet equation of state yielded the bulk modulus of 150(4) GPa and its first pressure derivative of 6.4(3). No pressure-induced phase transitions have been observed.     

α-LiIO3的等温压缩和高温高压下的相变

用金刚石压砧高压X射线衍射技术研究了α-LilO₃在室温高压下的压缩行为,压力达23.0GP_a。观察到晶格压缩的各向异性,其c/a轴比以-6.187×10^-3/GP_a的速率减小。得到其常压下的体弹模量B₀=39.2GP_a,体弹模量对压力的一阶导数B＇₀=3.787。α-LiIO₃在高温高压下转变成四方结构,与淬火卸压所得的ε-LiIO₃结构一致。 关键词：     

Mn2+ paramagnetic resonance and structural phase transitions in Rb2CdCl4

Structural phase transition in Rb₂CdCl₄: Mn²⁺ single crystal has been found near 133 K by EPR, X-ray and optical methods. Octahedral tilt system in the low temperature phase corresponds to the symmetry change D¹⁷_4h → D¹⁸_2h or D¹⁷_4h → C⁶_2h.