skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Mechanisms for pressure-induced crystal-crystal transition, amorphization, and devitrification of Snl4

Journal Article · · Journal of Chemical Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4934502· OSTI ID:1247547
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4]
  1. Univ. of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK (Canada)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  3. Tel Aviv Univ., Ramat Aviv (Israel)
  4. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

The pressure-induced amorphization and subsequent recrystallization of SnI4 have been investigated using first principles molecular dynamics calculations together with high-pressure 119Sn nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements. Above ~8 GPa, we observe a transformation from an ambient crystalline phase to an intermediate crystal structure and a subsequent recrystallization into a cubic phase at ~64 GPa. The crystalline-to-amorphous transition was identified on the basis of elastic compatibility criteria. The measured tin vibrational density of states shows large amplitude librations of SnI4 under ambient conditions. Although high pressure structures of SnI4 were thought to be determined by random packing of equal-sized spheres, we detected electron charge transfer in each phase. As a result, this charge transfer results in a crystal structure packing determined by larger than expected iodine atoms. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1247547
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1224337
Journal Information:
Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 143, Issue 16; ISSN 0021-9606
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 9 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (34)

Pressure-induced amorphization and polyamorphism: Inorganic and biochemical systems journal April 2014
Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple journal October 1996
‘Melting ice’ I at 77 K and 10 kbar: a new method of making amorphous solids journal August 1984
Mechanical instability in ice I h . A mechanism for pressure‐induced amorphization journal April 1992
Random packing fraction of bimodal spheres: An analytical expression journal March 2013
High-Pressure Elasticity of α -Quartz: Instability and Ferroelastic Transition journal April 2000
Long-Range Topological Order in Metallic Glass journal June 2011
Equation of state for the low-pressure crystalline phase of SnI 4 journal October 2011
The pressure-induced metallic amorphous state of SnI 4 . II. Lattice vibrations at the crystal-to-amorphous phase transition studied by Raman scattering journal February 1985
The pressure-induced metallic amorphous state of SnI 4 . I. A novel crystal-to-amorphous transition studied by X-ray scattering journal February 1985
Crystalline Post-Quartz Phase in Silica at High Pressure journal September 2001
Strong localization of photons in certain disordered dielectric superlattices journal June 1987
Amorphization and Molecular Dissociation of Sn I 4 at High Pressure journal December 1997
An apparently first-order transition between two amorphous phases of ice induced by pressure journal March 1985
Pressure induced amorphization of GeI 4 molecular crystals journal April 1994
Efficient iterative schemes for ab initio total-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set journal October 1996
First-principles determination of the relative stability of the α and Cmcm structures of AlPO 4 journal July 2003
Polymorphic phase transition mechanism of compressed coesite journal March 2015
Jammed hard-particle packings: From Kepler to Bernal and beyond journal September 2010
Phase Diagram and Structural Diversity of the Densest Binary Sphere Packings journal September 2011
High-Frequency Dynamics of Liquids Through a Liquid–Liquid Transition: The Case of CS book April 2013
Phonon Density of States Measured by Inelastic Nuclear Resonant Scattering journal May 1995
Origin of pressure-induced crystallization of Ce75Al25 metallic glass journal March 2015
Equation of state, phase stability, and amorphization of SnI 4 at high pressure and temperature journal March 2010
Elastic instabilities in crystals from ab initio stress - strain relations journal October 1997
Polyamorphism in tin tetraiodide journal March 2009
The relationship between liquid, supercooled and glassy water journal November 1998
How Soft Is a Protein? A Protein Dynamics Force Constant Measured by Neutron Scattering journal June 2000
Semiempirical GGA-type density functional constructed with a long-range dispersion correction journal January 2006
The mechanisms for pressure-induced amorphization of ice Ih journal August 1999
Thermodynamics of Crystals and Melting journal August 1939
Densest binary sphere packings journal February 2012
Emergence of Crystal-like Atomic Dynamics in Glasses at the Nanometer Scale journal May 2013
Strong Premelting Effect in the Elastic Properties of hcp-Fe Under Inner-Core Conditions journal October 2013

Cited By (1)

Do SnI 4 molecules deform on heating and pressurization in the low-pressure crystalline phase? journal October 2019

Similar Records

Mechanisms for pressure-induced crystal-crystal transition, amorphization, and devitrification of SnI{sub 4}
Journal Article · Wed Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Chemical Physics · OSTI ID:1247547

High pressure metallization and amorphization of the molecular crystal Sn(IBr){sub 2}
Technical Report · Thu Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1998 · OSTI ID:1247547

Structural and valence properties of the amorphous-metallic high-pressure phase of SnI/sub 4/
Journal Article · Sun May 15 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) · OSTI ID:1247547