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Alternating sequence of ring and chain structures in sulphur at high pressure and temperature

Nature Materials volume 4, pages 550–552 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Sulphur is the subject of a renewed intensive research effort aiming at characterizing its complex phase diagram1,2,3,4. Nonetheless, on reading recent literature on its high-pressure phases, a confused picture emerges where different techniques obtain different results5. We have investigated the phase diagram of sulphur by X-ray diffraction at high pressures and temperatures (6–11 GPa and 300–1,000 K), and have observed a new occurrence of a molecular S6 phase, in addition to the previously described polymeric helical trigonal1 and tetragonal2,3 phases. The stability regime of the S6 phase has been defined through the observation of coexistence points with each of the polymeric phases and the trigonal–S6–tetragonal triple point. The existence of these high-pressure phases allows us to define a framework that reconciles the apparently contradictory results existing in the literature. Moreover, the classic idea that pressure induces polymerization in sulphur is refined by the direct observation of an alternating sequence of molecular and polymeric phases that we report here.

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Figure 1: X-ray diffraction pattern of the S6 rhombohedral phase.
Figure 2: Diffraction patterns corresponding to the triple and coexistence points around the stability regime of the S6 phase.
Figure 3: Schematic phase diagram of sulphur.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the ESRF for allocation of beamtime to in-house research at the beamlines ID30-ID27. We are also grateful to H. Müller for recrystallizing the starting material.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP220, Grenoble, 38043, France

    Laura Crapanzano, Wilson A. Crichton, Giulio Monaco & Mohamed Mezouar

  2. Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Grenoble, DRFMC/SPSMS/MDN, 6 rue Horowitz, Grenoble, 38054, France

    Robert Bellissent

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  1. Laura Crapanzano
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  2. Wilson A. Crichton
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Correspondence to Laura Crapanzano.

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Crapanzano, L., Crichton, W., Monaco, G. et al. Alternating sequence of ring and chain structures in sulphur at high pressure and temperature. Nature Mater 4, 550–552 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1417

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