Hongyang Zhu

Polymerization of nitrogen in sodium azide

The high-pressure behavior of nitrogen in NaN(3) was studied to 160 GPa at 120-3300 K using Raman spectroscopy, electrical conductivity, laser heating, and shear deformation methods. Nitrogen in sodium azide is in a molecularlike form; azide ions N(3-) are straight chains of three atoms linked with covalent bonds and weakly interact with each other. By application of high pressures we strongly increased interaction between ions. We found that at pressures above 19 GPa a new phase appeared, indicating a strong coupling between the azide ions. Another transformation occurs at about 50 GPa, accompanied by the appearance of new Raman peaks and a darkening of the sample. With increasing pressure, the sample becomes completely opaque above 120 GPa, and the azide molecular vibron disappears, evidencing completion of the transformation to a nonmolecular nitrogen state with amorphouslike structure which crystallizes after laser heating up to 3300 K. Laser heating and the application of shear stress accelerates the transformation and causes the transformations to occur at lower pressures. These changes can be interpreted in terms of a transformation of the azide ions to larger nitrogen clusters and then polymeric nitrogen net. The polymeric forms can be preserved on decompression in the diamond anvil cell but transform back to the starting azide and other new phases under ambient conditions.

Shear-induced phase transition of nanocrystalline hexagonal boron nitride to wurtzitic structure at room temperature and lower pressure

Disordered structures of boron nitride (BN), graphite, boron carbide (BC), and boron carbon nitride (BCN) systems are considered important precursor materials for synthesis of superhard phases in these systems. However, phase transformation of such materials can be achieved only at extreme pressure–temperature conditions, which is irrelevant to industrial applications. Here, the phase transition from disordered nanocrystalline hexagonal (h)BN to superhard wurtzitic (w)BN was found at room temperature under a pressure of 6.7 GPa after applying large plastic shear in a rotational diamond anvil cell (RDAC) monitored by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. However, under hydrostatic compression to 52.8 GPa, the same hBN sample did not transform to wBN but probably underwent a reversible transformation to a high-pressure disordered phase with closed-packed buckled layers. The current phase-transition pressure is the lowest among all reported direct-phase transitions from hBN to wBN at room temperature. Usually, large plastic straining leads to disordering and amorphization; here, in contrast, highly disordered hBN transformed to crystalline wBN. The mechanisms of strain-induced phase transformation and the reasons for such a low transformation pressure are discussed. Our results demonstrate a potential of low pressure–room temperature synthesis of superhard materials under plastic shear from disordered or amorphous precursors. They also open a pathway of phase transformation of nanocrystalline materials and materials with disordered and amorphous structures under extensive shear.

Pressure-Induced Series of Phase Transitions in Sodium Azide

The phase analysis of sodium azide (NaN3) has been investigated by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements in a diamond anvil cell up to 52.0 GPa at room temperature. Three pressure-induced phase transitions were observed. The phase transition pressures were determined to be 0.3, 17.3, and 28.7 GPa verified by three different pressure transmitting media. The first high pressure phase, α-NaN3 (0.3 ∼ 17.3 GPa), was identified to be monoclinic with a C2/m space group. The β-NaN3 to α-NaN3 transition is a second-order phase transition, accompanied by the shearing of the Na-layers and the tilting of the azide chains. The second high pressure phase, γ-NaN3 (18.4 ∼ 28.7 GPa), has a lower symmetry than the α-NaN3. A further phase transition of γ-NaN3 to δ-NaN3 at 28.7 GPa was observed.

Pressure-induced phase transition in potassium azide up to 55 GPa

Potassium azide was investigated by Raman scattering spectroscopy up to a pressure of 55.0 GPa by use of diamond anvil cell at room temperature. A pressure-induced reversible phase transition was revealed. The onset of the phase transition was characterized by the hardening of a previously soft lattice mode at 13.6 GPa. This transition is considered a structural phase transition. Compression induces a symmetry reduction, which is indicated by the splitting of the librational modes, the development of infrared active vibrational modes, and the appearance of other new modes in the external mode region. The new high-pressure phase, with azide ions still in a molecular state, can be preserved down to 1.2 GPa. The Gruneisen parameters for the parent phase were calculated.

Phase transition and structure of silver azide at high pressure

Silver azide (AgN3) was compressed up to 51.3 GPa. The results reveal a reversible second-order orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transformation starting from ambient pressure and completing at 2.7 GPa. The phase transition is accompanied by a proximity of cell parameters a and b, a 3° rotation of azide anions, and a change of coordination number from 4-4 (four short, four long) to eight fold. The crystal structure of the high pressure phase is determined to be in I4/mcm space group, with Ag at 4a, N1 at 4d, and N2 at 8h Wyckoff positions. Both of the two phases have anisotropic compressibility: the orthorhombic phase exhibits an anomalous expansion under compression along a-axis and is more compressive along b-axis than c-axis; the tetragonal phase is more compressive along the interlayer direction than the intralayer directions. The bulk moduli of the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases are determined to be KOT = 39 ± 5 GPa with KOT’ = 10 ± 7 and KOT = 57 ± 2 GPa with KOT’ = 6.6 ± 0.2, respectively.

Plasma-assisted synthesis and pressure-induced structural transition of single-crystalline SnSe nanosheets

Two-dimensional tin selenide (SnSe) nanosheets were synthesized using a plasma-assisted direct current arc discharge method. The structural characterization indicates that the nanosheets are single-crystalline with an average thickness of ~25 nm and a lateral dimension of 500 nm. The high pressure behaviors of the as-synthesized SnSe nanosheets were investigated by in situ high-pressure synchrotron angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering up to ~30 GPa in diamond anvil cells at room temperature. A second-order isostructural continuous phase transition (Pnma → Cmcm) was observed at ~7 GPa, which is considerably lower than the transition pressure of bulk SnSe. The reduction of transition pressure is induced by the volumetric expansion with softening of the Poisson ratio and shear modulus. Moreover, the measured zero-pressure bulk modulus of the SnSe nanosheets coincides with bulk SnSe. This abnormal phenomenon is attributed to the unique intrinsic geometry in the nanosheets. The high-pressure bulk modulus is considerably higher than the theoretical value. The pressure-induced morphology change should be responsible for the improved bulk modulus.

High pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering studies of ammonium azide

Ammonium azide (NH4N3) has been studied by in situ high-pressure X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering at room temperature. NH4N3 exhibits strong hydrogen bonding features with compression. The hydrogen bond weaken with increasing pressure due to the bending of N−H…N bond, leading to the increase of N−H stretch frequency and rotation of azide anions at 2b and 4h Wyckoff positions up to 2.9 GPa. The orientation of azide anions obviously influences the compressibility properties of NH4N3. The phase transition involves rotation of azide anions and a proximity of a and c, temporally assigned as a reversible second-order orthorhombic-to-tetragonal transition.

Photoluminescence studies of Y2O3:Eu3+ under high pressure

The Eu-doped yttria (Y2O3:Eu3+) has been investigated by the in situ high-pressure angle dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The red shift and intensity ratio variation of emissions with increasing pressure were observed and elucidated. It was found that the red shift of emissions is related to the expansion of the f orbit of the Eu3+ and the intensity ratio variation of emissions is ascribed to the change of the crystal field under high pressure. The pressure-induced changes in spectrum are related to the phase transition, which was confirmed by XRD pattern. The two high pressure phases were identified as the monoclinic (C2/m) phase and hexagonal (P-3m1) phase by the Rietveld refinement.

Polymerization of nitrogen in cesium azide under modest pressure

Alkali metal azides can be used as starting materials in the synthesis of polymeric nitrogen, a potential high-energy-density material. The structural evolutionary behaviors of nitrogen in CsN3 have been studied up to 200 GPa using particle swarm optimization structure search combining with density functional theory. Three stable new phases with C2/m, P21/m, and P-1 structure at pressure of 6, 13, and 51 GPa are identified for the first time. The phase transition to chain like structure (P-1 phase) occurs at a modest pressure 51 GPa, the azide ions N3 (-) (linear chains of three N atoms with covalent bonds and interact weakly with each other) begin to show remarkable polymeric N properties in the CsN3 system. Throughout the stable pressure range, the structure is metallic and consists of N atoms in sp(2) hybridizations. Our study completes the structural evolution of CsN3 under pressure and reveals that the introduced Cs atoms are responsible for the decreased synthesis pressure comparing to pure molecular nitrogen under compression.

Pressure-induced Phase Transitions in Rubidium Azide: Studied by In-situ X-ray Diffraction

We present the in-situ X-ray diffraction studies of RbN3 up to 42.0 GPa at room temperature to supplement the high pressure exploration of alkali azides. Two pressure-induced phase transitions of α-RbN3 → γ-RbN3 → δ-RbN3 were revealed at 6.5 and 16.0 GPa, respectively. During the phase transition of α-RbN3 → γ-RbN3, lattice symmetry decreases from a fourfold to a twofold axis accompanied by a rearrangement of azide anions. The γ-RbN3 was identified to be a monoclinic structure with C2/m space group. Upon further compression, an orthogonal arrangement of azide anions becomes energetically favorable for δ-RbN3. The compressibility of α-RbN3 is anisotropic due to the orientation of azide anions. The bulk modulus of α-RbN3 is 18.4 GPa, quite close to those of KN3 and CsN3. By comparing the phase transition pressures of alkali azides, their ionic character is found to play a key role in pressure-induced phase transitions.