Cadmium phosphide, Cd 7 P 10 , prepared at high pressures.

In this study, pure-phase Cd7P10 crystals are prepared by the reaction of elements at high pressures in a large-volume cubic press. The synthetic Cd7P10 samples are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and diamond indentation method. The results show that orthorhombic Cd7P10 grains with a size of over 70 μm could be obtained and that the high pressure well-sintered Cd7P10 compacts have a Vickers hardness value of 8.9 GPa under a load of 49 N. The pressure–temperature formation region of Cd7P10 is determined up to 5 GPa and 1500°C, and the formative mechanism under high pressures is discussed. Our results exhibit a novel route for synthesizing bulk semiconductor polystalline Cd7P10 compacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]