Study of thermal pressure and phase transitions in H2O using optical pressure sensors in the diamond anvil cell

We present results of a study on the phase equilibria and pressure-volume-temperature relations for water and ice VII using an optical system designed for Raman spectroscopy and pressure-temperature measurements. The study shows that the strontium borate sensor represents an important tool for high-pressure-high-temperature manometry for temperatures below 600 K. In the pressure-temperature ranges 0-5 GPa and 240-600 K we detected phase transformations between four phases of H2O as documented by Raman spectra, pressure-temperature scans, and visual observations. Analysis of the interference fringes and comparison of the experimental data on thermal pressure with the published equations of state (EOSs) show that the heating/cooling cycles were carried out under quasi-isochoric conditions. The experimental results are discussed/analysed on the basis of different EOSs for water and ice.