The α → ω phase transformation in zirconium followed with ms-scale time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The conditions of the pressure-inducedphase transformation in zirconium have been reported to be influenced by the sample purity, the pressurizing conditions, and the deformation rate. Here, we study this transformation using a dynamic diamond-anvil cell compression setup and ms-scale time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The sample pressure is also monitored at the same timescale using the ruby luminescence method. For the samples used in this study (polycrystal of 99.9+ purity, hydrostatically compressed in neon pressure transmitting medium), the phase transformation pressure is very close in static (11 GPa) and in dynamic (12±1 GPa) compression and the transformation is achieved in less than a few ms at 12 GPa. Comparison with literature studies suggest that the kinetics and the mechanism of this martensitic phase transformation are different under hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic compression. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]