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Frederico Alabarse

Publications and source records attributed to Frederico Alabarse.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

High-Pressure X-Ray Diffraction Study of Scheelite-type Perrhenates

The effects of pressure on the crystal structure of scheelite-type perrhenates were studied using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and density-functional theory. At ambient conditions, the studied materials AgReO4, KReO4, and RbReO4, exhibit a tetragonal scheelite-type crystal structure described by space group I41/a. Under compression, a transition from scheelite-to-M${\prime}$-fergusonite (space group P21/c) was observed at 1.6 and 7.4 GPa for RbReO4 and KReO4, respectively. The transition involves a relative volume decrease. On the other hand, AgReO4 underwent a phase transition to the M-fergusonite structure (space group I2/a) at 13.6 GPa. In this case there is no appreciable volume discontinuity. The room-temperature pressure-volume equation of state for the three studied perrhenates was estimated using a second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state. The results for the low-pressure phase are confirmed by density-functional theory calculations. The analysis of the bulk modulus shows that the compressibility of the compounds decreases following the sequence RbReO4 > KReO4 > AgReO4, which is related to the compressibility of the RbO8, KO8, and AgO8 bidisphenoid units. Density-functional theory also offers valuable insights into the elastic constants. Despite giving a good description for the low-pressure phase in the three compounds, density-functional theory cannot catch the structural phase transition observed in experiments. Reasons for it are discussed in the manuscript.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Identification of the high-pressure phases of alpha-SnWO4 combining x-ray diffraction and crystal structure prediction

We have characterized the high-pressure behavior of alpha-SnWO4. The compound has been studied up to 30 GPa using a diamond-anvil cell and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. We report evidence of two structural phase transitions in the pressure range covered in our study, and we propose a crystal structure for the two high-pressure phases. The first one, observed around 12.9 GPa, has been obtained combining indexation using DICVOL and density-functional theory calculations. The second high-pressure phase, observed around 17.5 GPa, has been determined by using the CALYPSO code, the prediction of which was supported by a Le Bail fit to the experimental X-ray diffraction patterns. The proposed structural sequence involves two successive collapses of the unit-cell volume and an increase in the coordination number of Sn and W atoms. The room-temperature equations of state, the principal axes of compression and their compressibility, the elastic constants, and the elastic moduli are reported for {\alpha}-SnWO4 and for the two high-pressure phases.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Pressure-Induced Decomposition of beta-SnWO4

This study reports the decomposition of beta-SnWO4 into Sn, SnO2, and WO3 induced by static compression. We performed high-pressure synchrotron powder angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements and found that decomposition occurs at a pressure of 13.97(5) GPa and is irreversible. This result contradicts a previous study that, based on density-functional theory calculations and crystal-chemistry arguments, predicted a pressure-driven transition from beta-SnWO4 to alpha-SnWO4. Our analysis indicates that the observed decomposition is unrelated to mechanical or dynamic instabilities. Instead, it likely stems from frustration of the beta-alpha transition, as this transformation requires a change in Sn coordination from octahedral to tetrahedral. The assessment of how pressure influences the volume of the unit cell provided an accurate determination of the room-temperature pressure-volume equation of state for beta-SnWO4. Furthermore, the elastic constants and moduli, as well as the pressure dependence of Raman and infrared modes of beta-SnWO4, were derived from density-functional theory calculations. Several phonon modes exhibited softening, and three cases of phonon anti-crossing were observed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci