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

Title: Structural behavior of ZnCr2S4 spinel under pressure

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [2]
  1. Oakland Univ., Rochester, MI (United States). Dept. of Physics; Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Potsdam (Germany)
  2. Oakland Univ., Rochester, MI (United States). Dept. of Physics
  3. Academy of Sciences of Moldova (Moldova). Inst. of Applied Physics; Univ. of Augsburg (Germany). Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Inst. of Physics
  4. Univ. of Augsburg (Germany). Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Inst. of Physics
  5. Academy of Sciences of Moldova (Moldova). Inst. of Applied Physics

Here, the series of Cr-chalcogenide spinels ACr2X4 (A = Zn, Cd, Hg; X = S, Se) exhibits a rich phase diagram upon compression, as revealed by our recent investigations. There exist, however, some open questions regarding the role of cations in the observed structural transitions. In order to address these queries, we have performed X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic studies on the ZnCr2S4 spinel up to 42 GPa, chosen mainly due to the similarity of the Zn2+ and Cr3+ cationic radii. Two reversible structural transitions were identified at 22 and 33 GPa, into a I41/amd and an orthorhombic phase, respectively. Close comparison with the behavior of relevant Cr-spinels revealed that the structural transitions are mainly governed by the competition of the magnetic exchange interactions present in these systems, and not by steric effects. In addition, careful inspection of the starting Fd$$\bar{3}$$m phase revealed a previously unnoticed isostructural transition. The latter is intimately related to changes in the electronic properties of these systems, as evidenced by our Raman studies. Our results provide insights for tuning the physical and chemical properties of these materials, even under moderate compression, as well as promoting the understanding of similar pressure-induced effects in relevant systems.

Research Organization:
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (Germany); Oakland Univ., Rochester, MI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; NA0001974; FG02-99ER45775; FG02-94ER14466
OSTI ID:
1340640
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Vol. 121, Issue 1; ISSN 1932-7447
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 11 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (71)

Transition metal sulfides journal January 1976
Magnetically ordered multinary semiconductors journal January 1999
Electronic band structure and exchange coupling constants in A Cr 2 X 4 spinels ( A = Zn , Cd, Hg; X = O , S, Se) journal March 2008
Spin-phonon coupling in antiferromagnetic chromium spinels journal March 2007
Exchange Interactions in Ferromagnetic Chromium Chalcogenide Spinels journal November 1966
Polar phonons and spin-phonon coupling in Hg Cr 2 S 4 and Cd Cr 2 S 4 studied with far-infrared spectroscopy journal November 2007
Spin-phonon coupling in Zn Cr 2 Se 4 journal February 2007
Optical properties of ZnCr2Se4: Spin-phonon coupling and electronic d-d-like excitations journal March 2009
Spin-Driven Phonon Splitting in Bond-Frustrated ZnCr 2 S 4 journal August 2006
Phonon anomalies and possible local lattice distortions in giant magnetocapacitive CdCr 2 S 4 journal July 2011
Spin-driven phase transitions in ZnCr 2 Se 4 and ZnCr 2 S 4 probed by high-resolution synchrotron x-ray and neutron powder diffraction journal February 2009
Local lattice distortions in chromium chalcogenide spinels at low temperatures journal March 1976
Crystal distortions in geometrically frustrated ACr 2 O 4 (A = Zn,Cd) journal March 2007
Relaxor ferroelectricity and colossal magnetocapacitive coupling in ferromagnetic CdCr2S4 journal March 2005
Multiferroicity and colossal magneto-capacitance in Cr-thiospinels journal December 2006
Colossal Magnetocapacitance and Colossal Magnetoresistance in HgCr 2 S 4 journal April 2006
Magnetic Reversal of the Ferroelectric Polarization in a Multiferroic Spinel Oxide journal May 2006
Generation of Electric Polarization with Rotating Magnetic Field in Helimagnet ZnCr 2 Se 4 journal April 2008
Dynamic off-centering of Cr 3 + ions and short-range magneto-electric clusters in CdCr 2 S 4 journal December 2012
Ferroelectricity in spiral short-range-ordered magnetic state of spinel MnCr 2 O 4 : Significance of topological frustration and magnetoelastic coupling journal November 2014
Intricate relationship between pressure-induced electronic and structural transformations in FeCr 2 S 4 journal December 2011
High pressure polymorphism of spinel compounds journal December 1965
Polymorphism in selenospinels—A high pressure phase of CdCr2Se4 journal June 1969
Spinel to defect NiAs structure transformation journal April 1967
Pressure-induced phase transitions in the CdC r 2 S e 4 spinel journal November 2016
Multiple pressure-induced transitions in HgCr 2 S 4 journal November 2013
Pressurizing the HgCr 2 Se 4 spinel at room temperature journal January 2014
Structural transition in the magnetoelectric ZnC r 2 S e 4 spinel under pressure journal May 2016
Pressure-Temperature Study of Sulfospinels journal November 1968
High-pressure structural behaviour of Cu0.5Fe0.5Cr2S4: An experimental and theoretical study journal November 2013
Effective ionic radii in oxides and fluorides journal May 1969
Pressure-enhanced direct exchange coupling observed in chromium spinels journal June 2008
Magnetic field and pressure effects on magnetism of bond-frustrated ZnCr2S4 journal August 2013
On the amorphisation of ZnCr 2 S 4 spinel under high pressure: x-ray diffraction studies journal October 1997
Pressure-dependent magnetic properties of geometrically frustrated ZnCr 2 O 4 journal November 2005
Effect of hydrostatic pressure on the exchange interactions in a ferromagnetic spinel CdCr 2 Se 4 journal February 1986
Magnetostructural Transitions in a Frustrated Magnet at High Fields journal June 2011
Two-dimensional detector software: From real detector to idealised image or two-theta scan journal January 1996
EXPGUI , a graphical user interface for GSAS journal April 2001
Finite Elastic Strain of Cubic Crystals journal June 1947
EosFit7-GUI : a new graphical user interface for equation of state calculations, analyses and teaching journal June 2016
Orbital ordering in transition-metal spinels journal January 2005
Pressure-induced transition in the multiferroic CoC r 2 O 4 spinel journal August 2015
Structural Distortions of the Metal Dichalcogenide Units in AMo 2 S 4 (A = V, Cr, Fe, Co) and Magnetic and Electrical Properties journal March 2002
Novel pressure-induced phase transitions in Co 3 O 4 journal January 2013
Post-spinel transformations and equation of state in ZnGa 2 O 4 : Determination at high pressure by in situ x-ray diffraction journal January 2009
Spinel to CaFe 2 O 4 Transformation: Mechanism and Properties of β-CdCr 2 O 4
  • Arévalo-López, Ángel M.; Dos santos-García, Antonio J.; Castillo-Martínez, Elizabeth
  • Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 49, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1021/ic902228h
journal March 2010
High-pressure decomposition of MCr 2 O 4 spinels (M=Mg, Mn, Zn) by ab initio methods journal May 1999
Cubic ZnS under pressure: Optical-absorption edge, phase transition, and calculated equation of state journal November 1990
Correlated structural and electronic phase transformations in transition metal chalcogenide under high pressure journal April 2016
High-Pressure X-ray Studies of Zn at Room and Low Temperatures with a He-Pressure Medium journal January 2002
Crystal structure of sulfur and selenium at pressures up to 160 GPa journal March 2005
Vibrational dynamics and stability of the high-pressure chain and ring phases in S and Se journal February 2007
The bulk modulus of cubic spinel selenides: an experimental and theoretical study journal March 2009
High-pressure behaviour of selenium-based spinels and related structures—an experimental and theoretical study journal December 2003
The influence of the Jahn–Teller effect at Fe2+ on the structure of chromite at high pressure journal November 2011
Pressure-induced phase transition study of magnesiochromite (MgCr2O4) by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction journal April 2012
Raman single crystal studies of spinel type MCr2S4(M  Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, Cd), MIn2S4(M  Mn, Fe, Co, Ni), MnCr2-2xIn2xS4 and Co1-xCdxCr2S4 journal February 1989
Lattice Dynamics at Zone-Center of Sulphide and Selenide Spinels journal December 2008
Raman spectroscopic studies of lithium manganates with spinel structure journal May 2003
Raman spectroscopy of AMn2O4 (A = Mn, Mg and Zn) spinels journal June 2002
Pressure-induced transition in titanium metal a systematic study of the effects of uniaxial stress journal January 2005
Comment on “High-pressure x-ray diffraction study of YBO 3 /Eu 3+ , GdBO 3 , and EuBO 3 : Pressure-induced amorphization in GdBO 3 ” [J. Appl. Phys. 115 , 043507 (2014)] journal June 2014
Hydrostatic limits of 11 pressure transmitting media journal March 2009
Evolution of the optical properties of chromium spinels CdCr 2 O 4 , HgCr 2 S 4 , and ZnCr 2 Se 4 under high pressure journal March 2014
Density-functional-theory investigation of pressure induced semiconductor–metal transitions in the ferromagnetic semiconductor HgCr 2 Se 4 journal January 2012
Two-dimensional pressure-induced electronic topological transition in Bi 2 Te 3 journal March 2011
Isostructural Phase Transition in Bismuth Oxide Chloride Induced by Redistribution of Charge under High Pressure journal November 2015
High-pressure behavior of thiospinel CuCr2S4 journal May 2014
Exchange Integrals and Magnetic Properties of Mixed Chromium Spinel Systems: Zn1−xAxCr2X4 (A = Cd, Hg and X  S, Se) journal November 1995
High-pressure metaelastic properties of LixMn3−xO4 (x = 0.87, 0.94, 1.00) journal January 2008

Cited By (1)

Effects of pressure on the structure and lattice dynamics of ammonium perchlorate: A combined experimental and theoretical study journal July 2018

Similar Records

Comparing the Pressure-Induced Structural Behavior of CuCr2O4 and CuCr2Se4 Spinels
Journal Article · Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C · OSTI ID:1340640

Pressure-induced structural transition in chalcopyrite ZnSiP2
Journal Article · Tue May 02 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:1340640

Pressure-induced ferroelectric to paraelectric transition in LiTaO3 and (Li,Mg)TaO3
Journal Article · Tue Feb 16 00:00:00 EST 2016 · Journal of Applied Physics · OSTI ID:1340640

Related Subjects