Hao Ai-Min

Theoretical Prediction for Structural Stabilities and Optical Properties of SrS, SrSe and SrTe under High Pressure

An investigation on the structural stabilities and electronic properties of SrX (X = S, Se and Te) under high pressure is conducted using the first-principles calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) with the plane wave basis set as implemented in the CASTEP code. Our results demonstrate that the sequence of the pressure-induced phase transition of the three compounds is the NaCl-type (B1) structure (Fm3m) to the CsCl-type (B2) structure (Pm3m). The phase transition and the metallization pressures are determined theoretically. The pressure effect on the optical properties is discussed. The results are compared with the previous calculations and experimental data.

Phase Transition of Graphitic-C3N4 under High Pressure by In Situ Resistance Measurement in a Diamond Anvil Cell

In situ resistance measurement of Graphitic-C3N4 has been performed under high pressure in a diamond anvil cell. The result reveals that there are changes of electron transport behaviour. As the pressure increases from ambient to 30 GPa, three abnormal resistance changes can be found at room temperature and two are found at 77 K. The abnormal resistance dropped at 5 GPa is close to the phase transition pressure from the Pm2 structure to the p structure predicted by Lowther et al. [Phys. Rev. B 59 (1999) 11683] Another abnormal change of resistance at 12 GPa is related to the phase transition from g-C3N4 to cubic-C3N4 [Teter and Hemley, Science 271 (1996) 53].

In-Situ Resistivity Measurement of ZnS in Diamond Anvil Cell under High Pressure

An effective method is developed to fabricate metallic microcircuits in diamond anvil cell (DAC) for resistivity measurement under high pressure. The resistivity of nanocrystal ZnS is measured under high pressure up to 36.4 GPa by using designed DAC. The reversibility and hysteresis of the phase transition are observed. The experimental data is confirmed by an electric current field analysis accurately. The method used here can also be used under both ultrahigh pressure and high temperature conditions.

A study on the electrical property of HgSe under high pressure

Using a microcircuit fabricated on a diamond anvil cell, we have measured in-situ conductivity of HgSe under high pressures, and investigated the temperature dependence of conductivity under several different pressures. The result shows that HgSe has a pressure-induced transition sequence from a semimetal to a semiconductor to a metal, similar to that in HgTe. Several discontinuous changes in conductivity are observed at around 1.5, 17, 29 and 49GPa, corresponding to the phase transitions from zinc-blende to cinnabar to rocksalt to orthorhombic to an unknown structure, respectively. In comparison with HgTe, it is speculated that the unknown structure may be a distorted CsCl structure. For the cinnabar-HgSe, the energy gap as a function of pressure is obtained according to the temperature dependence of conductivity. The plot of the temperature dependence of conductivity indicates that the unknown structure of HgSe has an electrical property of a conductor.

In-Situ Conductivity Measurement of BaF2 under High Pressure and High Temperature

We perform the in-situ conductivity measurement on BaF2 at high pressure using a microcircuit fabricated on a diamond anvil cell. The results show that BaF2 initially exhibits the electrical property of an insulator at pressure below 25 GPa, it transforms to a wide energy gap semiconductor at pressure from 25 to 30 GPa, and the conductivity increases gradually with increasing pressure from 30 GPa. However, the metallization predicted by theoretical calculation at 30–33 GPa cannot be observed. In addition, we measure the temperature dependence of the conductivity at several pressures and obtain the relationship between the energy gap and pressure. Based on the experimental data, it is predicted that BaF2 would transform to a metal at about 87 GPa and ambient temperature. The conductivity of BaF2 reaches the order of 10−3Ω−1cm−1 at 37 GPa and 2400 K, the superionic conduction is not observed during the experiments, indicating the application of pressure elevates greatly the transition temperature of the superionic conduction.

In-Situ High Pressure Raman Spectrum and Electrical Property of PbMoO4

In-situ high pressure Raman spectra and electrical conductivity measurements of scheelite-structure compound PbMoO4 are presented. The Raman spectrum of PbMoO4 is determined up to 26.5 GPa on a powdered sample in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) under nonhydrostatic conditions. The PbMoO4 gradually experiences the transformation from the crystal to amorphous between 9.2 and 12.5 GPa. The crystal to amorphous transition may be due to the mechanical deformation and the crystallographic transformation. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity of PbMoO4 is in situ measured accurately using a microcircuit fabricated on a DAC based on the van der Pauw method. The results show that the electrical conductivity of PbMoO4 increases with increases of pressure and temperature. At 26.5 GPa, the electrical conductivity value of PbMoO4 at 295 K is 1.93×10−4 S/cm, while it raises by one order of magnitude at 430 K and reached 3.33×10−3 S/cm. However, at 430 K, compared with the electrical conductivity value of PbMoO4 at 26.5 GPa, it drops by about two order magnitude at 7.4 GPa and achieves 2.81×10−5 S/cm. This indicates that the effect of pressure on the electrical conductivity of PbMoO4 is more obvious than that of temperature.

Phase Transition of FeS in Terms of In-Situ Resistance Measurement

Electrical properties of stoichiometric iron sulfide (FeS) are investigated under high pressure with a designed diamond anvil cell. The process of phase transition is reflected by changing the electrical conductivity under high pressure, and the conductivity of FeS with the NiAs structure is found to be much smaller than other phases. Two new phase transitions without structural change are observed at 34.7GPa and 61.3 GPa. The temperature dependence of the conductivity is found to be similar to that of a semiconductor when the pressure is higher than 35 GPa.

Resistivity Measurement of Molten Olivine in a Laser-Heated Diamond Anvil Cell

The electrical conductivity of molten olivine is studied up to 3720 K and 13.2 GPa. The results indicate that the electrical conductivity of molten olivine exhibits the perfect Arrhenius behaviour. The activation energy as well as temperature effect is much smaller than that of the solid olivine. It is expected that the high conductivity zone in the mantle is almost independent of the melting based on our experimental data.

Electron Transport Property of CdTe under High Pressure and Moderate Temperature by In-Situ Resistivity Measurement in Diamond Anvil Cell

In situ resistivity measurement has been performed to investigate the electron transport property of powered CdTe under high pressure and moderate temperature in a designed diamond anvil cell. Several abnormal resistivity changes can be found at room temperature when the pressure increases from ambient to 33 GPa. The abnormal resistivity changes at about 3.8 GPa and 10 GPa are caused by the structural phase transitions to the rock-salt phase and to the Cmcm phase, respectively. The other abnormal resistivity changes at about 6.5 GPa, 15.5 GPa, 22.2 GPa and about 30 GPa never observed before are due to the electronic phase transitions of CdTe. The origin of the abnormal change occurred at about 6.5 GPa is discussed. The temperature dependence of the resistivity of CdTe shows its semiconducting behaviour at least before 11.3 GPa.