The Pyrite-Type High-Pressure Form of Silica

Abstract

Silica (SiO 2 ) exhibits extensive polymorphism at elevated pressures. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that a high-pressure form with a pyrite-type structure, denser than other known silica phases, is stable above 268 giga-pascals and 1800 kelvin. The silicon coordination number increases from 6 in the α-PbO 2 -type phase to 6+2 in the pyrite-type phase, leading to a large increase in density by about 5% at the phase transition.