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Raman spectroscopic data were obtained for (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 samples during compression to 57 GPa. Single crystals of San Carlos olivine compressed hydrostatically above 41 GPa showed appearance of a new "defect" peak in the 820–840 cm–1 region associated with SiOSi linkages appearing between adjacent SiO44– tetrahedra to result in five- or sixfold-coordinated silicate species. Appearance of this feature is accompanied by a broad amorphous background. The changes occur at lower pressure than metastable crystalline transitions of end-member Mg2SiO4 forsterite (Fo-I) into Fo-II and Fo-III phases described recently. We complemented our experimental study using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and anisotropic ion molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations to study the Raman spectra and vibrational density of states (VDOS) of metastably compressed Mg2SiO4 olivine, Fo-II and Fo-III, and quenched melts at high and low pressures. By 54 GPa all sharp crystalline peaks disappeared from observed Raman spectra indicating complete pressure-induced amorphization (PIA). The amorphous (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 spectrum contains Si-O stretching bands at lower wavenumber than expected for SiO44– indicating high coordination of the silicate units. The amorphous spectrum persisted on decompression to ambient conditions but with evidence for reappearance of tetrahedrally coordinated units. Nonhydrostatic compression of polycrystalline olivine samples showed similar appearance of the defect feature and broad amorphous features between 43–44 GPa. Both increased in intensity as the sample was left at pressure overnight but they disappeared during decompression below 17 GPa with recovery of the starting olivine Raman signature. A hydrated San Carlos olivine sample containing 75–150 ppm OH was also studied. Significant broadening of the SiO44– stretching peaks was observed above 43 GPa but without immediate appearance of the defect or broad amorphous features. However, both of these characteristics emerged after leaving the sample at 47 GPa overnight followed by complete amorphization that occurred upon subsequent pressurization to 54 GPa. During decompression the high-density amorphous spectrum was retained to 3 GPa but on final pressure release a spectrum similar to thermally quenched low-pressure olivine glass containing isolated SiO44– groups was obtained. Leaving this sample overnight resulted in recrystallization of olivine. Our experimental data provide new insights into the metastable structural transformations and relaxation behavior of olivine samples including material recovered from meteorites and laboratory shock experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an experimental study which examines the high-pressure behaviour of dirubidium sulfide (Rb2) with antifluorite-type system at room conditions. The study synthesized Rb2 from stoichometric quantities of the elements by heating them inside a quarz ampoule. Results from the angle-dispersive X-ray powder diffraction analysis confirm two phase transitions such as an anticotunnite-type and a Ni2In-type structures.

Abstract: We studied the high-pressure effects on the crystalline structure of monoclinic HfTiO4 and ZrTiO4. We found that the compressibility of these ceramics is highly non-isotropic, being the b-axis the most compressible one. In addition, the a-axis is found to have a small and negative compressibility. At 2.7GPa (10.7GPa) we discovered the onset of a structural phase transition in HfTiO4 (ZrTiO4), coexisting the low- and high-pressure phases in a broad pressure range. The new high-pressure phase has a monoclinic structure which involves an increase in the Ti–O coordination and a collapse of the cell volume. The equation of state for the low-pressure phase is also determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of the naturally occurring, iron-rich mineral Ca1.08(6)Mg0.24(2)Fe0.64(4)Mn0.04(1)(CO3)2 ankerite was studied in a joint experimental and computational study. Synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction measurements up to 20 GPa were complemented by density functional theory calculations. The rhombohedral ankerite structure is stable under compression up to 12 GPa. A third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state yields V0 = 328.2(3) Å3, bulk modulus B0 = 89(4) GPa, and its first-pressure derivative B'0 = 5.3(8)—values which are in good agreement with those obtained in our calculations for an ideal CaFe(CO3)2 ankerite composition. At 12 GPa, the iron-rich ankerite structure undergoes a reversible phase transition that could be a consequence of increasingly non-hydrostatic conditions above 10 GPa. The high-pressure phase could not be characterized. DFT calculations were used to explore the relative stability of several potential high-pressure phases (dolomite-II-, dolomite-III- and dolomite-V-type structures), and suggest that the dolomite-V phase is the thermodynamically stable phase above 5 GPa. A novel high-pressure polymorph more stable than the dolomite-III-type phase for ideal CaFe(CO3)2 ankerite was also proposed. This high-pressure phase consists of Fe and Ca atoms in sevenfold and ninefold coordination, respectively, while carbonate groups remain in a trigonal planar configuration. This phase could be a candidate structure for dense carbonates in other compositional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]