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Pressure-induced decomposition of indium hydroxide
Aleksander Gurlo1, Dmytro Dzivenko, Miria Andrade
1Fachbereich Material- und Geowissenschaften, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany. gurlo@materials.tu-darmstadt.de
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|August 25, 2010
Summary
High pressure transforms indium hydroxide into metallic indium at room temperature. This irreversible decomposition, confirmed by various techniques, alters the material
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Physics
- High-Pressure Physics
Background:
- Indium hydroxide (In(OH)3) is typically a white, wide-band-gap semiconductor.
- Understanding material behavior under extreme conditions like high pressure is crucial for discovering new properties and applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of static pressure on indium hydroxide at ambient temperature.
- To characterize the structural and electronic changes induced by compression and decompression.
Main Methods:
- High-pressure X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine structural changes and lattice parameters.
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe microstructural evolution.
- Raman spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to analyze vibrational and electronic properties.
Main Results:
- Compression of c-In(OH)3 to 34 GPa caused a significant decrease in lattice parameter and specific volume.
- Indium hydroxide crystals comminuted, with grain sizes reducing to approximately 5 nm.
- Rapid decompression led to irreversible partial decomposition into metallic indium, evidenced by changes in optical and electronic properties.
Conclusions:
- Static pressure induces a phase transformation of indium hydroxide to metallic indium at room temperature.
- The decomposition is driven by localized stress gradients during decompression.
- The transformed material exhibits metallic characteristics, distinct from the initial semiconductor state.
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