Synthesis and characterization of Ti-doped ZrSiO4 at ambient and high-pressure conditions

FERRARI, S.; GRINBLAT, F.; BILOVOL, V.; PAMPILLO, L. G.; SACCONE, F. D.; ERRANDONEA, D.; CHANQUÍA, C. M.

JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2018 vol. 53 p. 8817 - 8825

0022-2461

We have successfully synthesized for the first time a Ti-doped ZrSiO4 powder(stoichiometry Zr0.95Ti0.05SiO4) via a sol?gel route. The structural and vibrationalproperties have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopyand Raman spectroscopy. Zr0.95Ti0.05SiO4 has a tetragonal zircon-type structurewith a = 6.5981(2) A ° and c = 5.9810(2) A ° . Eight of its Raman-active modes havebeen measured and assigned. We also performed high-pressure synchrotronX-ray diffraction experiments. The structural behavior was studied up to31 GPa. At this pressure, we found evidence of the onset of a phase transition,coexisting the low-pressure polymorphs (zircon) with the typical high-pressurepolymorph of ZrSiO4 (reidite-type). From the analysis of unit-cell volume versuspressure using a Birch?Murnaghan equation of state, in the quasi-hydrostaticpressure regime (P < 10.5 GPa), we have determined a bulk modulus of297 GPa. This magnitude represents an enhancement of a 30% in the value ofthis parameter if compared with un-doped zircon-type ZrSiO4 (bulk modulus