Compression behavior of Sm2Ti2O7-pyrochlore up to 50 GPa: single-crystal X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction at pressures up to 50 GPa has been employed to study the compression behavior of Sm2Ti2O7-pyrochlore. In contrast to earlier reports, we observed no pressure-induced amorphization or pressure-induced anion disorder up to 50 GPa. The experimental study has been complemented by density functional theory-based calculations. A combination of the theoretical and experimental data yields a bulk modulus of 185 GPa, significantly higher than a value which had been reported earlier. In comparison to earlier work, the current study provides more reliable data due to the use of neon as a pressure medium, which provides a more hydrostatic pressure than the aluminum, which had been employed as a pressure medium in the earlier studies. An analysis of the compressibility of AlBO pyrochlores shows an approximately linear dependence of the bulk modulus on the unit cell volume.