Pressure induced structural phase transition in triglycine sulfate and triglycine selenate

To elucidate the cause of destruction of ferroelectricity with pressure in triglycine sulfate and triglycine selenate, we have investigated these compounds with the help of Raman measurements as well as first principles total energy and structural optimization calculations. Our results show that, beyond the critical pressures, the loss of ferroelectricity in these compounds is due to the conformational change in one of the three glycine ions of these crystals. Our studies suggest that pressure induced phase transition might be of displacive nature unlike the temperature induced ferroelectric phase transition in these crystals which is known to be of order-disorder type. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.