Depressurization Amorphization of Single-Crystal Boron Carbide

X. Q. Yan, Z. Tang, L. Zhang, J. J. Guo, C. Q. Jin, Y. Zhang, T. Goto, J. W. McCauley, and M. W. Chen

Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 075505 – Published 20 February 2009

Abstract

We report depressurization amorphization of single-crystal boron carbide ( $B_{4} C$ ) investigated by in situ high-pressure Raman spectroscopy. It was found that localized amorphization of $B_{4} C$ takes place during unloading from high pressures, and nonhydrostatic stresses play a critical role in the high-pressure phase transition. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the depressurization amorphization results from pressure-induced irreversible bending of C-B-C atomic chains cross-linking 12 atom icosahedra at the rhombohedral vertices.

Received 26 July 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.075505

Authors & Affiliations

X. Q. Yan^1,2, Z. Tang³, L. Zhang¹, J. J. Guo¹, C. Q. Jin⁴, Y. Zhang², T. Goto⁵, J. W. McCauley⁶, and M. W. Chen^1,5,*

¹WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
²Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
³Key Laboratory of Polar Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
⁴Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
⁵Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
⁶U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005, USA

^*Corresponding author: mwchen@imr.tohoku.ac.jp

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Vol. 102, Iss. 7 — 20 February 2009

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