New transformations of CO(2) at high pressures and temperatures

Phys Rev Lett. 2001 Aug 13;87(7):075701. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.075701. Epub 2001 Jul 31.

Abstract

CO(2) laser heating of solid CO(2) at pressures between 30 and 80 GPa shows that this compound breaks down to oxygen and diamond along a boundary having a negative P-T slope. This decomposition occurs at temperatures much lower than predicted in theory or inferred from previous experiment. Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction were used as structural probes. At pressures higher than 40 GPa the decomposition is preceded by the formation of a new CO(2) phase (CO(2)-VI). These findings limit the stability of nonmolecular CO(2) phases to moderate temperatures and provide a new topology of the CO(2) phase diagram.