Addendum: Site occupancy of interstitial deuterium atoms in face-centred cubic iron

Machida, Akihiko*; Saito, Hiroyuki*; Sugimoto, Hidehiko*; Hattori, Takanori; Sano, Asami; Endo, Naruki*; Katayama, Yoshinori*; Iizuka, Riko*; Sato, Toyoto*; Matsuo, Motoaki*; et al.

Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.8861_1 - 8861_2, 2024/10

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52736-1

In our previous article (Nature Commun. 5, 5063 (2014)), the site occupancies of D atoms dissolved in an fcc Fe metal lattice were investigated via Rietveld refinement of neutron powder diffraction patterns collected at 988 K and 6.3 GPa. The fcc metal lattice has two interstitial sites available for accommodating D atoms: octahedral and tetrahedral sites. The Rietveld refinement revealed that D atoms occupied mainly the octahedral sites with occupancy of 0.532 and slightly the tetrahedral sites with occupancy of 0.056. Subsequent density-functional-theory (DFT) calculations by Antonov (Phys. Rev. Mater. 2019)) showed that the occupation energy on the tetrahedral site was significantly higher than that on the octahedral site; the tetrahedral site occupation was unlikely to occur even at temperatures as high as 988 K. We reexamined the site occupancies of D-atom by Rietveld refinement including extinction correction. As a result, the octahedral occupancy was increased to 0.60 and the tetrahedral occupancy was reduced to zero. The occupation of only the octahedral site for D atom is consistent with the DFT calculation, although in contrast to the previous results.

Hydroxyl group/fluorine disorder in deuterated magnesium hydroxyfluoride and behaviors of hydrogen bonds under high pressure

He, X.*; Kagi, Hiroyuki*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Iizuka, Riko*; Okajima, Hajime*; Hattori, Takanori; Sano, Asami; Machida, Shinichi*; Abe, Jun*; Goto, Hirotada*; et al.

Journal of Molecular Structure, 1310, p.138271_1 - 138271_8, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2024.138271

High-pressure responses of the O-DF hydrogen bonds in deuterated magnesium hydroxyfluoride were investigated using neutron powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The Rietveld analysis at ambient conditions revealed a chemical formula of Mg(OD)F and hydroxyl group/fluorine disorder (OD/F disorder) in the crystal structure, which gave rise to two hydrogen-bonding configurations. The Rietveld analysis showed the hydrogen-bonding geometries remains up to 9.8 GPa, indicating no pressure-induced strengthening of hydrogen bonds. The Raman spectra at ambient conditions showed three hydroxyl stretching bands at 2613, 2694, and 2718 cm. The high frequencies of the O-D stretching modes indicated that the hydroxyls should be involved in weak or none hydrogen-bonding interactions. Up to 20.2 GPa, the mode initially centered at 2694 cm displayed a pressure-induced blue shift, revealing no strengthening of hydrogen bonds under compression. We discuss the existence of hydrogen bonds and the causes of the blue-shifting hydroxyls at ambient and at high pressures.

Hydrogen bond symmetrisation in DO ice observed by neutron diffraction

Komatsu, Kazuki*; Hattori, Takanori; Klotz, S.*; Machida, Shinichi*; Yamashita, Keishiro*; Ito, Hayate*; Kobayashi, Hiroki*; Irifune, Tetsuo*; Shimmei, Toru*; Sano, Asami; et al.

Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.5100_1 - 5100_7, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48932-8

Hydrogen bond symmetrisation is the phenomenon where a hydrogen atom is located at the centre of a hydrogen bond. Theoretical studies predict that hydrogen bonds in ice VII eventually undergo symmetrisation upon increasing pressure, involving nuclear quantum effect with significant isotope effect and drastic changes in the elastic properties through several intermediate states with varying hydrogen distribution. Despite numerous experimental studies conducted, the location of hydrogen and hence the transition pressures reported up to date remain inconsistent. Here we report the atomic distribution of deuterium in DO ice using neutron diffraction above 100 GPa and observe for the first time the transition from a bimodal to a unimodal distribution of deuterium at around 80 GPa. At the transition pressure, a significant narrowing of the peak widths of 110 was also observed, attributed to the structural relaxation by the change of elastic properties.

Local structural changes in V-Ti-Cr alloy hydrides with hydrogen absorption/desorption cycling

Ikeda, Kazutaka*; Sashida, Sho*; Otomo, Toshiya*; Oshita, Hidetoshi*; Honda, Takashi*; Hawai, Takafumi*; Saito, Hiraku*; Ito, Shinichi*; Yokoo, Tetsuya*; Sakaki, Koji*; et al.

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 51(Part A), p.79 - 87, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.10.318

An X-ray and neutron scattering study of aqueous MgCl solution in the gigapascal pressure range

Yamaguchi, Toshio*; Fukuyama, Nami*; Yoshida, Koji*; Katayama, Yoshinori*; Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori

Liquids (Internet), 3(3), p.288 - 302, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.3390/liquids3030019

We report the structure of an aqueous 2 mol/kg MgCl solution at pressures from 0.1 MPa to 4 GPa and temperatures from 300 to 500 K revealed by X-ray and neutron scattering measurements. The scattering data are analyzed by empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) modeling to derive the pair distribution functions, coordination number distributions, angle distributions, and spatial density functions as a function of pressure and temperature. Mg forms rigid solvation shells extended to the third shell; the first solvation shell of six-fold octahedral coordination with about six water molecules at 0 GPa transforms into about five water molecules and one Cl due to the formation of the contact ion pairs in the GPa pressure range. The Cl solvation shows a substantial pressure dependence; the coordination number of a water oxygen atom around Cl increases from 8 at 0.1 MPa/300 K to 10 at 4 GPa/500 K. The solvent water transforms the tetrahedral network structure at 0.1 MPa/300 K to a densely packed structure in the GPa pressure range; the number of water oxygen atoms around a central water molecule gradually increases from 4.6 at 0.1 MPa/298 K to 8.4 at 4 GPa/500 K.

Hydrogen vibration excitations of ZrH and TiH up to 21 GPa by incoherent inelastic neutron scattering

Hattori, Takanori; Nakamura, Mitsutaka; Iida, Kazuki*; Machida, Akihiko*; Sano, Asami; Machida, Shinichi*; Arima, Hiroshi*; Oshita, Hidetoshi*; Honda, Takashi*; Ikeda, Kazutaka*; et al.

Physical Review B, 106(13), p.134309_1 - 134309_9, 2022/10

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.106.134309

Hydrogen vibration excitations of fluorite-type ZrH and TiH were investigated up to 21 GPa and 4 GPa, respectively, by incoherent inelastic neutron scattering experiments. The first excitation energies increased with pressure, as described by the equations (meV) = 141.4(2) + 1.02(2)(GPa) and (meV) = 149.4(1) + 1.21(8)(GPa) for ZrH and TiH, respectively. Coupling with pressure dependence of lattice parameters, the relations between metal-hydrogen distance () and are found to be well described by the equations (meV) = 1.62(9) 10 ((meV) = 1.47(21) 10 (AA), respectively. The slopes of these curves are much steep compared to the previously reported trend in various fluorite-type metal hydrides at ambient pressure. The hydrogen wave function spreading showed that the local potential field for a hydrogen atom shrinks more intensively than the tetrahedral site. These behavior is likely caused by the rigid metal ion core and the resulting confinement of the hydrogen atom in the narrower potential field at high pressures.

Structure of an aqueous RbCl solution in the gigapascal pressure range by neutron diffraction combined with empirical potential structure refinement modeling

Zhang, W. Q.*; Yamaguchi, Toshio*; Fang, C. H.*; Yoshida, Koji*; Zhou, Y. Q.*; Zhu, F. Y.*; Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori; Li, W.*

Journal of Molecular Liquids, 348, p.118080_1 - 118080_11, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2021.118080

The ion hydration and association and hydrogen-bonded water structure in an aqueous 3 mol/kg RbCl solution were investigated at 298 K/0.1 MPa, 298 K/1 GPa, 523 K/1 GPa, and 523 K/4 GPa by neutron diffraction combined with EPSR methods. The second hydration layer of Rb and Cl becomes evident under elevated pressure and temperature conditions. The average oxygen coordination number of Rb (Cl) in the first hydration layer increases from 6.3 (5.9) ambient pressure to 8.9 (9.1) at 4 GPa, while decreasing coordination distance from 0.290 nm (0.322 nm) to 0.288 nm (0.314 nm). The orientation of the water dipole in the first solvation shell of Rb and a central water molecule is sensitive to pressure, but that in the first solvation shell of Cl does not change very much. The number of contact-ion pairs Rb-Cl decreases with elevated temperature and increases with elevated pressure. Water molecules are closely packed, and the tetrahedral hydrogen-bonded network of water molecules no longer exists in extreme conditions.

Observation of dihydrogen bonds in high-pressure phases of ammonia borane by X-ray and neutron diffraction measurements

Nakano, Satoshi*; Sano, Asami; Hattori, Takanori; Machida, Shinichi*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Fujihisa, Hiroshi*; Yamawaki, Hiroshi*; Goto, Yoshito*; Kikegawa, Takumi*

Inorganic Chemistry, 60(5), p.3065 - 3073, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c03345

X-ray and neutron diffraction analyses of ammonia borane were conducted at ambient and high pressures. The H-H distance in dihydrogen bonds was shorter than twice the van der Waals radius (2.4 ). The half of the dihydrogen bonds were broken on phase transition from AP to the first high pressure phase (HP1) at approximately 1.2 GPa as revealed by an increase in the H-H distances. On further pressure increase, all of the H-H distances became shorter than 2.4 again, implying the pressure-induced reformation of the dihydrogen bonds. Furthermore, the HP1 transformed to the second one with the structure of (Z = 2) at about 11 GPa. In this phase transition, the inclination of the molecule axis became larger and the number of types of dihydrogen bonds increased from 6 to 11. Just before the third transition at 18.9 GPa, the shortest dihydrogen bond decreased to 1.65 . The present study experimentally first confirmed the breakage and reformation of the dihydrogen bonds by the structural change under pressure.

Experimental evidence for the existence of a second partially-ordered phase of ice VI

Yamane, Ryo*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Gochi, Jun*; Uwatoko, Yoshiya*; Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori; Ito, Hayate*; Kagi, Hiroyuki*

Nature Communications (Internet), 12, p.1129_1 - 1129_6, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21351-9

Ice exhibits extraordinary structural variety in its polymorphic structures. The existence of a new form of diversity in ice polymorphism has recently been debated in both experimental and theoretical studies, questioning whether hydrogen-disordered ice can transform into multiple hydrogen-ordered phases, contrary to the known one-to-one correspondence between disordered ice and its ordered phase. Here we report a new high-pressure phase, ice XIX, which is a second hydrogen-ordered phase of ice VI. This is the first discovery to demonstrate that disordered ice undergoes different manners of hydrogen ordering. Such multiplicity can appear in all disordered ice, and it widely provides a new research approach to deepen our knowledge, for example of the crucial issues of ice: the centrosymmetry of hydrogen-ordered configurations and potentially induced (anti-)ferroelectricity. Ultimately, this research opens up the possibility of completing the phase diagram of ice.

Slow compression of crystalline ice at low temperature

Bauer, R.*; Tse, J. S.*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori

Nature, 585(7825), p.E9 - E10, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2697-7

Pressure-induced structural transformations in deuterated crystalline ice-Ih were studied in-situ at 100 K using neutron diffraction. Very long relaxation time was allowed between small pressure increments to promote transformations to the thermodynamic stable high pressure crystalline phases. The results contradict a recent report in which measurements under similar temperature and pressure environment show successive crystal-to-crystal transformations (Tulk, et.al., Nature 2019). Instead, ice Ih was found to transform partially to an amorphous form (high density amorphous, HDA) at 1.0 GPa and then ice VII started to emerge at 1.5 GPa, a pressure substantially lower than all earlier studies. During this pressure interval, crystalline ice Ih or ice VII co-exist with HDA. The ice VII formed is stable upon pressure release down to 0.1 GPa. The very low compression rate has a profound effect on the crystallinity in the amorphous regime. Gathering all the existing experimental evidences allows an unambiguous description of the phenomenon of pressure induced amorphization. The onset of the phase transition is triggered by a shear instability of the ice lattice. The co-existence ice VII with HDA, instead of the equilibrium thermodynamic stable and proton-ordered ice-VIII under the same pressure-temperature condition reveals at low temperature there is insufficient thermal energy to overcome the substantial geometrical rearrangement from a single proton disordered H-bond network to an interpenetrating proton ordered H-bond crystalline network. Thus, leaving the proton disordered H-network intact. The analysis shows unequivocally that the structure obtained from the compression of ice is controlled by kinetics and dependent on the temperature.