A mechanism for aragonite to post-aragonite transition in MCO3 (M = Ca, Sr and Ba) carbonates: evidence of a hidden metastable polymorph.

To advance in the understanding of the Earth's carbon cycle, it is necessary to determine thermodynamic boundaries and kinetic barriers associated with the pressure-induced polymorphic sequence of alkaline-earth carbonates. Following a symmetry-based strategy within the martensitic approximation, we propose a two-step mechanism mediated by a hexagonal P63/mmc structure for the aragonite to post-aragonite transformation in the MCO3 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) crystal family. The calculated transition pressures and activation energies, from ∼7 to 42 GPa and ∼0.3 to 0.6 eV, respectively, are low enough to allow this transformation to occur under mantle conditions. Our analysis reveals that the intermediate hexagonal structure is the early one proposed by Holl et al., Phys. Chem. Miner., 2000, 27, 467-473 for high pressure BaCO3, and later considered as metastable. Phonon calculations inform that this P63/mmc structure is in fact unstable at zero pressure. Remarkably, our molecular dynamics calculations showed that this instability smoothly leads to a dynamically stable P63mc structure, which we confirm is actually the phase observed by Holl et al. This finding allows us to reconcile previous controversial data and contributes to clarifying the role of carbonates in the Earth's interior.

Pressure and temperature stability boundaries of cubic SiC polymorphs: a first-principles investigation.

A better understanding of the effects of temperature and pressure on the wide gap SiC semiconductor is necessary for both (i) an improvement of the performance of this compound in a variety of technological applications and (ii) a clarification of controversial issues related to the stability of its cubic polymorphs at high pressure and high temperature. Bearing in mind this double demand, we perform first-principles calculations of the phonon band structures, vibrational density of states, and thermal and mode Grüneisen parameters of the zinc blende (B3) and rock-salt (B1) cubic polymorphs of 3C-SiC covering pressures and temperatures up to 120 GPa and 3000 K, respectively. Under a martensitic description of the B3-B1 transformation, we found that the large hysteresis pressure range observed at room temperature (35-100 GPa) disappears at around 1100 K. The calculated Clapeyron slope of this transformation is slightly negative, with average values of -2.9 MPa K-1 in the 0-3000 K interval and -3.7 MPa K-1 at 2000 K. We also study the decomposition reaction of the two cubic polymorphs into their elemental constituents (C and Si), finding a decreasing (increasing) decomposition temperature for the B3 (B1) phase as the pressure is applied. All these results are sustained by good agreement with other recently reported experimental and theoretical thermodynamic data that have also been evaluated under our quasi-harmonic approximation framework.

Pressure-Driven Metallization in Hafnium Diselenide.

The quest for new transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with outstanding electronic properties operating under ambient conditions draws us to investigate the 1T-HfSe2 polytype under hydrostatic pressure. Diamond anvil cell (DAC) devices coupled to in situ synchrotron X-ray, Raman, and optical (VIS-NIR) absorption experiments along with density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations prove that (i) bulk 1T-HfSe2 exhibits strong structural and vibrational anisotropies, being the interlayer direction especially sensitive to pressure changes, (ii) the indirect gap of 1T-HfSe2 tends to vanish by a -0.1 eV/GPa pressure rate, slightly faster than MoS2 or WS2, (iii) the onset of the metallic behavior appears at Pmet ∼10 GPa, which is to date the lowest pressure among common TMDs, and finally, (iv) the electronic transition is explained by the bulk modulus B0-Pmet correlation, along with the pressure coefficient of the band gap, in terms of the electronic overlap between chalcogenide p-type and metal d-type orbitals. Overall, our findings identify 1T-HfSe2 as a new efficient TMD material with potential multipurpose technological applications.

Generalized Stress-Redox Equivalence: A Chemical Link between Pressure and Electronegativity in Inorganic Crystals.

The crystal structure of many inorganic compounds can be understood as a metallic matrix playing the role of a host lattice in which the nonmetallic atomic constituents are located, the Anions in Metallic Matrices (AMM) model stated. The power and utility of this model lie in its capacity to anticipate the actual positions of the guest atoms in inorganic crystals using only the information known from the metal lattice structure. As a pertinent test-bed for the AMM model, we choose a set of common metallic phases along with other nonconventional or more complex structures (face-centered cubic (fcc) and simple cubic Ca, CsCl-type BaSn, hP4-K, and fcc-Na) and perform density functional theory electronic structure calculations. Our topological analysis of the chemical pressure (CP) scalar field, easily derived from these standard first-principles electronic computations, reveals that CP minima appear just at the precise positions of the nonmetallic elements in typical inorganic crystals presenting the above metallic subarrays: CaF2, rock-salt and CsCl-type phases of CaX (X = O, S, Se, Te), BaSnO3, K2S, and NaX (X = F, Cl, Br, I). A theoretical basis for this correlation is provided by exploring the equivalence between hydrostatic pressure and the oxidation (or reduction) effect induced by the nonmetallic element on the metal structure. Indeed, our CP analysis leads us to propose a generalized stress-redox equivalence that is able to account for the two main observed phenomena in solid inorganic compounds upon crystal formation: (i) the expansion or contraction experienced by the metal structure after hosting the nonmetallic element while its topology is maintained and (ii) the increasing or decreasing of the effective charge associated with the anions in inorganic compounds with respect to the charge already present in the interstices of the metal network. We demonstrate that a rational explanation of this rich behavior is provided by means of Pearson-Parr's electronegativity equalization principle.

Hysteresis and bonding reconstruction in the pressure-induced B3-B1 phase transition of 3C-SiC.

The determination of kinetic factors affecting phase metastability is crucial for the design of materials out of the ambient conditions. At a given temperature, the kinetic barrier associated with the reconstruction of the bonding network of a pressure-induced phase transition can be only overcome at pressures where the available vibrational energy of the system is equal or higher than the corresponding activation energy. Our work demonstrates that these pressures provide boundaries to hysteresis cycles that can be evaluated following a three-step computational strategy: (i) total energy electronic structure calculations, (ii) determination of vibrational contributions by means of a simple Debye model, and (iii) description of the energetic profile along the transition path in the framework of the martensitic approximation. In the 3C-SiC polytype, our results reveal that the high pressure rock-salt (B1) structure can not be quenched on release of pressure unless temperature is close to 0 K. The B1 phase transforms back to the low-pressure zinc blende (B3) polymorph at 300 K if pressure is below 30 GPa, in very good agreement with experimental observations. These results are supported by a full characterization of the B3-B1 energetic transition profile in terms of the chemical changes of the bonding network topologically analysed with the electron localization function.

Structure and bonding in crystalline cesium uranyl tetrachloride under pressure.

A thorough investigation of pressure effects on the structural properties of crystalline cesium uranyl chloride was performed by means of first-principles calculations within the density functional theory framework. Total energies, equilibrium geometries and vibrational frequencies were computed at selected pressures up to 50 GPa. Zero pressure results present good agreement with available experimental and theoretical data. Our calculated equation of state parameters reveal that Cs2UO2Cl4 is a high compressible material, similar to other ionic compounds with cesium cations, and displays a structural anisotropic behavior guided by the uranyl moiety. An unexpected variation of the U-O bond length, dUO, is detected as pressure is applied. It leads to a dUO-stretching frequency relationship that cannot be described by the traditional Badger's rule. Interestingly enough, it can be explained in terms of a change in the main factor controlling dUO. At low pressure, the charge transferred to the uranyl cation induces an increase of the bond length and a red shift of the stretching frequencies, whereas it is the mechanical effect of the applied pressure above 10 GPa that is the dominant factor that leads to a shortening of dUO and a blue shift of the stretching frequencies.

Phosphorous acid and urea: valuable sources of phosphorus and nitrogen in the hydrothermal synthesis of ammonium-thorium phosphates.

Microcrystals of the first ammonium-thorium phosphates, (NH 4) 2Th(PO 4) 2.H 2O (tetragonal, I4 1/ amd, a = 7.0192(4) A, c = 17.9403(8) A) and NH 4Th 2(PO 4) 3 (monoclinic, C2/ c, a = 17.880(6) A, b = 6.906(1) A, c = 8.152(2) A, beta = 104.39(2) degrees ) were hydrothermally obtained from a Th(NO 3) 4-CO(NH 2) 2-H 3PO 3-H 2O system ( T = 180 degrees C). In both cases, the structure consists of a three-dimensional framework with PO 4 tetrahedra coordinated to Th atoms (ThO n polyhedra, where n = 8 or 9, for the tetragonal or monoclinic phase, respectively). The ammonium ions (and water molecules) are located in the tunnels.

Chemical Pressure Maps of Molecules and Materials: Merging the Visual and Physical in Bonding Analysis.

The characterization of bonding interactions in molecules and materials is one of the major applications of quantum mechanical calculations. Numerous schemes have been devised to identify and visualize chemical bonds, including the electron localization function, quantum theory of atoms in molecules, and natural bond orbital analysis, whereas the energetics of bond formation are generally analyzed in qualitative terms through various forms of energy partitioning schemes. In this Article, we illustrate how the chemical pressure (CP) approach recently developed for analyzing atomic size effects in solid state compounds provides a basis for merging these two approaches, in which bonds are revealed through the forces of attraction and repulsion acting between the atoms. Using a series of model systems that include simple molecules (H2, CO2, and S8), extended structures (graphene and diamond), and systems exhibiting intermolecular interactions (ice and graphite), as well as simple representatives of metallic and ionic bonding (Na and NaH, respectively), we show how CP maps can differentiate a range of bonding phenomena. The approach also allows for the partitioning of the potential and kinetic contributions to the interatomic interactions, yielding schemes that capture the physical model for the chemical bond offered by Ruedenberg and co-workers.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Structure of Fe(NH(3))(2)PO(4): A Novel Monophosphate.

Fe(NH(3))(2)PO(4) is synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions in the presence of urea. The crystal structure is solved for powder X-ray diffraction data. The unit cell is orthorhombic, a = 10.1058(2) Å, b = 6.3676(2) Å, c= 7.5714(2) Å, space group Pnma, Z = 4. The structure consists of a three-dimensional network of FeO(4)N(2) octahedra and PO(4) tetrahedra linked by vertex sharing. Two crystallographically independent ammonia molecules are linked to the iron atom. This compound is the first three-dimensional solid structurally characterized containing Fe-NH(3) bonds.

Theoretical study of P2O5 polymorphs at high pressure: hexacoordinated phosphorus.

Binary oxides of elements belonging to groups 13-15 are of special relevance from a fundamental point of view as well as because of their technological applications as a basis in zeotypes, glasses, or semiconductors. Aluminum oxide, Al2O3, crystallizes in the corundum structure, which is stable at low and high pressures, with the Al showing octahedral coordination. Silicon oxide, SiO2, crystallizes in phases with tetrahedral Si coordination at low pressures as alpha-quartz, but at high pressures, octahedral coordination is stable in the stishovite polymorph. The only known binary phosphorus(V) oxides have tetrahedral P coordination. We have studied the stability of different phases of P2O5 at high pressure, applying density functional theory methodology within the local density and generalized gradient approximations and a plane-wave basis set. Our results indicate that the most stable form of P2O5 at high pressure could be one with hexacoordinated phosphorus. All of the high-pressure phases of Al, Si, and P can be described as a different linking of the same rutile-type blocks.

Synthesis and crystal structure of thorium bis(hydrogenphosphate) monohydrate.

Microcrystals of Th(HPO 4) 2.H 2O were hydrothermally obtained from a Th(NO 3) 4-CO(NH 2) 2-H 3PO 3-H 2O system ( T = 180 masculineC). The structure [orthorhombic, Pbca, a = 9.1968(2) A, b = 18.6382(2) A, c = 8.7871(2) A], unlike alpha-Zr(HPO 4) 2.H 2O-type layered compounds, consists of a three-dimensional framework with PO 4 tetrahedra coordinated to Th atoms. The water molecule is also coordinated to the Th atom and projected toward small channels running along the directions of the a and c axes. The ThO 6O(w) environment could be described as a highly distorted pentagonal bipyramid.

New hydrothermal synthesis and structure of Th2(PO4)2(HPO4).H2O: the first structurally characterized thorium Hydrogenphosphate.

Th(2)(PO(4))(2)(HPO(4)).H(2)O was synthesized under wet hydrothermal conditions starting from a mixture of H(3)PO(3) and Th(NO(3))(4).5H(2)O. The crystal structure was solved by powder X-ray diffraction data. The unit cell parameters are a = 6.7023(8) Angstroms, b = 7.0150(8) Angstroms, c = 11.184(1) Angstroms, beta = 107.242(4) degrees, space group P2(1), and Z = 2. The structure consists of layers of both thorium atoms and PO(4) groups, alternating with a layer formed by HPO(4) entities and water molecules. By thermal treatment, this compound turns into Th(4)(PO(4))(4)P(2)O(7), a ceramic already described in the field of the immobilization of tetravalent actinides.