Pressure-controlled plasticity of Cu(H2O)6(2+) complex and phase transition in Cs2Cu(ZrF6)2*6H2O

The X-band EPR study of a polycrystalline Cs2Cu(ZrF6)2*6H2O demonstrates a feature of plasticity of the Jahn-Teller Cu(H2O)6 complex in the crystal lattice of this compound. The temperature- and pressure-induced evolution of the spectra shows that the copper complex is extremely sensitive to these factors, which due to the ferroelastic properties of the compound studied modify the internal tetragonal and orthorhombic strains acting on the complex. It is supported by the analysis of the temperature dependencies of the principal values of the g-factor under various pressures, indicating that the complex varies its shape adapting it to the varied conditions. A pressure-induced phase transition is discovered.