5 f bonding in thorium metal at extreme compressions: Phase transitions to 300 GPa

Journal Article · Mon Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Physical Review Letters; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.67.3563· OSTI ID:6079887

Vohra, Y K ^[1]; Akella, J ^[2]

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1. Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States)
2. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

The 5{ital f} element thorium has been studied in a diamond-anvil cell to pressures of 300{plus minus}8 GPa (volume fraction {ital V}/{ital V}{sub 0}=0.40) at 300 K by energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction using a synchrotron source and platunum pressure standard. Thorium undergoes a phase transition from its ambient fcc phase to a body-centered-tetragonal (bct) phase near 100 GPa. This bct high-pressure phase of thorium is similar to the one found previously in the 4{ital f} lanthanide element cerium above 12 GPa. We suggest that the 5{ital f} band which lies above the Fermi energy in thorium at ambient conditions is occupied at megabar pressures and significantly contributes to bonding.

• OSTI ID: 6079887
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (United States), Vol. 67:25; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
THORIUM
COMPRESSION
BONDING
CRITICAL PRESSURE
CRYSTAL LATTICES
CRYSTAL-PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
VERY HIGH PRESSURE
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ACTINIDES
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DIFFRACTION
ELEMENTS
FABRICATION
JOINING
METALS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SCATTERING
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
360102* - Metals & Alloys- Structure & Phase Studies