To cite this version:M. Marqués, J. Contreras-García, M. Flórez, J.M. Recio. On the mechanism of the zircon-reidite pressure induced transformation. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, Elsevier, 2009, 69 (9) This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting galley proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
A c c e p t e d m a n u s c r i p t.On the mechanism of the zircon-reidite pressure induced transformation M. Marqués, J. Contreras-García, M. Flórez, and J. M. RecioDepartamento de Química Física y Analítica, Universidad de Oviedo, E-33006Oviedo, Spain
AbstractWe report first principles results of a detailed investigation directed to elucidate mechanistic aspects of the zircon-reidite phase transition in ZrSiO 4 . The calculated thermodynamic boundary is located around 5 GPa, and the corresponding thermal barrier, estimated from temperatures at which the transition is observed at zero and high pressure, is 133 kJ/mol. Under a martensitic perspective, we examine two different transition pathways at the thermodynamic transition pressure. First, the direct, displacive-like, tetragonal I4 1 /a energetic profile is computed using the c/a ratio as the tranformation parameter, and yields a very high activation barrier (236 kJ/mol). Second, a quasi-monoclinic unit cell allows us to characterize a transition path from zircon (β=90 • ) to reidite (β=114.51 • ) with an activation barrier of around 80 kJ/mol at β=104 • . This energy is somewhat lower than our previous estimation and supports the reconstructive nature of the transformation at the thermodynamic transition pressure.