Mohamed Mezouar

Synthesis of superhard cubic BC2N

Cubic BC2N was synthesized from graphite-like BC2N at pressures above 18 GPa and temperatures higher than 2200 K. The lattice parameter of c-BC2N at ambient conditions is 3.642(2) A, which is larger by 1.48% than would be expected based on ideal mixing between diamond and cubic boron nitride. The bulk modulus of c-BC2N is 282 GPa which is one of the highest bulk moduli known for any solid, and is exceeded only by the bulk moduli of diamond and c-BN. The hardness of c-BC2N is higher than that of c-BN single crystals which indicates that the synthesized phase is only slightly less hard than diamond.

Melting of Iron at Earth’s Inner Core Boundary Based on Fast X-ray Diffraction

Hot Enough to Melt Iron Earths core is divided into a fluid outer core and a solid inner core, both composed predominately of iron at extremely high pressures and temperatures. The boundary between these two regions is largely controlled by the melting point of iron at ∼330 GPa, which in turn influences heat transfer and geodynamo generation. Anzellini et al. (p. 464, see the Perspective by Fei) compressed iron in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell, tracking its structure and texture by using time-resolved x-ray diffraction as the pressure increased to 200 GPa. The melting curve suggests the possibility of high heat flux and partial melting at the core-mantle boundary. High-temperature and -pressure experiments simulate the melting behavior of metallic iron in Earth’s core. [Also see Perspective by Fei] Earth’s core is structured in a solid inner core, mainly composed of iron, and a liquid outer core. The temperature at the inner core boundary is expected to be close to the melting point of iron at 330 gigapascal (GPa). Despite intensive experimental and theoretical efforts, there is little consensus on the melting behavior of iron at these extreme pressures and temperatures. We present static laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments up to 200 GPa using synchrotron-based fast x-ray diffraction as a primary melting diagnostic. When extrapolating to higher pressures, we conclude that the melting temperature of iron at the inner core boundary is 6230 ± 500 kelvin. This estimation favors a high heat flux at the core-mantle boundary with a possible partial melting of the mantle.

Density measurements of liquid Fe‐S alloys at high‐pressure

We present the first static measurements of the density of metallic liquids in the Fe-S system in the pressure and temperature range 1.5 GPa-6.2 GPa and 1500 K - 1780 K. Density is inferred from X-ray absorption experiments carried out with a large volume press at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. It is shown that increasing the amount of sulfur in liquid iron decreases the bulk incompressibility by -2.5 GPa per 1 weight% of S. These data are important for constraining the presence and amount of sulfur in the cores of small planetary bodies.

Development of a new state-of-the-art beamline optimized for monochromatic single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction under extreme conditions at the ESRF.

A new state-of-the art synchrotron beamline fully optimized for monochromatic X-ray diffraction at high pressure and high (or low) temperature is presented. In comparison with the old high-pressure beamline ID30, this new beamline exhibits outstanding performance in terms of photon flux and focusing capabilities. The main components of this new instrument will be described in detail and compared with the performance of beamline ID30. In particular, the choices in terms of X-ray source, X-ray optics, sample environment and detectors are discussed. The first results of the beamline commissioning are presented.

Solid–liquid iron partitioning in Earth’s deep mantle

Melting processes in the deep mantle have important implications for the origin of the deep-derived plumes believed to feed hotspot volcanoes such as those in Hawaii. They also provide insight into how the mantle has evolved, geochemically and dynamically, since the formation of Earth. Melt production in the shallow mantle is quite well understood, but deeper melting near the core–mantle boundary remains controversial. Modelling the dynamic behaviour of deep, partially molten mantle requires knowledge of the density contrast between solid and melt fractions. Although both positive and negative melt buoyancies can produce major chemical segregation between different geochemical reservoirs, each type of buoyancy yields drastically different geodynamical models. Ascent or descent of liquids in a partially molten deep mantle should contribute to surface volcanism or production of a deep magma ocean, respectively. We investigated phase relations in a partially molten chondritic-type material under deep-mantle conditions. Here we show that the iron partition coefficient between aluminium-bearing (Mg,Fe)SiO3 perovskite and liquid is between 0.45 and 0.6, so iron is not as incompatible with deep-mantle minerals as has been reported previously. Calculated solid and melt density contrasts suggest that melt generated at the core–mantle boundary should be buoyant, and hence should segregate upwards. In the framework of the magma oceans induced by large meteoritic impacts on early Earth, our results imply that the magma crystallization should push the liquids towards the surface and form a deep solid residue depleted in incompatible elements.

Structural Diversity of Sodium

Sodium exhibits a pronounced minimum of the melting temperature at ∼118 gigapascals and 300 kelvin. Using single-crystal high-pressure diffraction techniques, we found that the minimum of the sodium melting curve is associated with a concentration of seven different crystalline phases. Slight changes in pressure and/or temperature induce transitions between numerous structural modifications, several of which are highly complex. The complexity of the phase behavior above 100 gigapascals suggests extraordinary liquid and solid states of sodium at extreme conditions and has implications for other seemingly simple metals.

Retention of xenon in quartz and Earth's missing xenon

The reactivity of xenon with terrestrial oxides was investigated by in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction. At high temperature (T > 500 kelvin), some silicon was reduced, and the pressure stability of quartz was expanded, attesting to the substitution of some xenon for silicon. When the quartz was quenched, xenon diffused out and only a few weight percent remained trapped in samples. These results show that xenon can be covalently bonded to oxygen in quartz in the lower continental crust, providing an answer to the missing xenon problem; synthesis paths of rare gas compounds are also opened.

High-pressure protein crystallography (HPPX): instrumentation, methodology and results on lysozyme crystals

A new set-up and associated methodology for the collection of angle-dispersive diffraction data from protein crystals submitted to high hydrostastic pressure have been developed on beamline ID30 at the ESRF. The instrument makes use of intense X-rays of ultra-short wavelength emitted by two collinear undulators, and combines a membrane-driven diamond-anvil cell mounted on a two-axis goniometer and an imaging-plate scanner. Sharp and clean diffraction pictures from tetragonal crystals of hen egg-white lysozyme (tHEWL) and orthorhombic crystals of bovine erythrocyte Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) were recorded at room temperature and pressures up to 0.915 and 1.00 GPa, respectively. The compressibility of tHEWL was determined from unit-cell parameters determined at 24 different pressures up to 0.915 GPa. High-pressure diffraction data sets from several crystals of tHEWL were collected and analyzed. Merging of data recorded on different crystals at 0.30 and 0.58 GPa produced two sets of structure amplitudes with good resolution, completeness, redundancy and R(sym) values. A third set at 0.69 GPa was of a similar quality except a lower completeness. The three structures have been refined. The pressure-induced loss of crystalline order in a tHEWL crystal beyond 0.82 GPa was captured through a series of diffraction pictures.

Pressure effects on Al89La6Ni5 amorphous alloy crystallization

The pressure effect on the crystallization of the Al89La6Ni5 amorphous alloy has been investigated by in situ high-pressure and high-temperature x-ray powder diffraction using synchrotron radiation. The amorphous alloy crystallizes in two steps in the pressure range studied (0–4 GPa). The first process, corresponding to simultaneous precipitation of fcc-Al crystals and the metastable bcc-(AlNi)11La3-like phase, is governed by a eutectic reaction. The second process corresponds to the transformation of a residual amorphous alloy into fcc-Al, Al11La3, Al3Ni, and as yet unidentified phase(s). The applied pressure strongly affects the crystallization processes of the amorphous alloy. Both temperatures first decrease with pressure in the pressure range of 0–1 GPa and then increase with pressure up to 4 GPa. The results are discussed with reference to competing processes between the thermodynamic potential barrier and the diffusion activation energy under pressure.

High-temperature superconductivity (Tc onset at 34 K) in the high-pressure orthorhombic phase of FeSe

We have studied the structural and superconducting properties of β–FeSe under pressures up to 26 GPa using synchrotron radiation and diamond anvil cells. The bulk modulus of the tetragonal phase is 28.5(3) GPa, much smaller than the rest of Fe based superconductors. At 12 GPa we observe a phase transition from the tetragonal to an orthorhombic symmetry. The high-pressure orthorhombic phase has a higher Tc reaching 34 K at 22 GPa.