2017/02/13 by Irina Chuvashova, Elena Bykova, Maxim Bykov +7 · 1 citation
Chemistry · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Boron #Boron and Carbon Nanomaterials Research #Chemical physics #Chemistry #Crystal structure #Crystallography #Diamond and Carbon-based Materials Research #Diamond anvil cell #Diffraction #High pressure #High-pressure geophysics and materials #Icosahedral symmetry #Materials science #Nuclear physics #Orthorhombic crystal system #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Synchrotron #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.95.180102
published as Phys. Rev. B 95, 180102 (2017)
arxiv created 2017/02/13 · openalex publication_date 2017/05/16 · arxiv updated 2017/05/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Theoretical predictions of pressure-induced phase transformations often become long-standing enigmas because of limitations of contemporary available experimental possibilities. Hitherto the existence of a nonicosahedral boron allotrope has been one of them. Here we report on a nonicosahedral boron allotrope, which we denoted as \ensuremathζ-B, with the orthorhombic \ensuremathα-Ga-type structure (space group Cmce) synthesized in a diamond-anvil cell at extreme high-pressure high-temperature conditions (115 GPa and 2100 K). The structure of \ensuremathζ-B was solved using single-crystal synchrotron x-ray diffraction and its compressional behavior was studied in the range of very high pressures (115--135 GPa). Experimental validation of theoretical predictions reveals the degree of our up-to-date comprehension of condensed matter and promotes further development of solid-state physics and chemistry.