Pressure- and temperature-dependent Raman spectra of Ca2Fe2O5 oxygen defect perovskite

The Raman spectra of Ca₂Fe₂O₅ were investigated up to 21.8 GPa at room temperature and up to 1073 K at ambient pressure, respectively. A phase transition begins around 13.6 GPa and it is reversible after decompression. No temperature-induced phase transition was observed due to the quality of Raman spectra at temperatures above 773 K. The effects of pressure and temperature on the Raman vibration were quantitatively analyzed. All the observed Raman active vibrations of Ca₂Fe₂O₅ show positive linear pressure dependences and negative temperature dependences with different slopes. Combined with previous experimental results, the isothermal and isobaric mode Grüneisen parameters of Ca₂Fe₂O₅ were estimated, and the intrinsic anharmonicity was discussed.

Natural Fe-bearing aluminous bridgmanite in the Katol L6 chondrite

Bridgmanite, the most abundant mineral of the Earth's lower mantle, has been reported in only a few shocked chondritic meteorites; however, the compositions of these instances differ from that expected in the terrestrial bridgmanite. Here, we report the first natural occurrence of Fe-bearing aluminous bridgmanite in shock-induced melt veins within the Katol L6 chondrite with a composition that closely matches those synthesized in high-pressure and temperature experiments over the last three decades. The Katol bridgmanite coexists with majorite and metal-sulfide intergrowths. We found that the natural Fe-bearing aluminous bridgmanite in the Katol L6 chondrite has a significantly higher Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratio (0.69 ± 0.08) than coexisting majorite (0.37 ± 0.10), which agrees with experimental studies. The Katol bridgmanite is arguably the closest natural analog for the bridgmanite composition expected to be present in the Earth's lower mantle. Textural observations and comparison with laboratory experiments suggest that the Katol bridgmanite formed at pressures of ∼23 to 25 gigapascals directly from the chondritic melt generated by the shock event. Thus, the Katol L6 sample may also serve as a unique analog for crystallization of bridgmanite during the final stages of magma ocean crystallization during Earth's formation.

The geometric blueprint of perovskites

Perovskite minerals form an essential component of the Earth's mantle, and synthetic crystals are ubiquitous in electronics, photonics, and energy technology. The extraordinary chemical diversity of these crystals raises the question of how many and which perovskites are yet to be discovered. Here we show that the "no-rattling" principle postulated by Goldschmidt in 1926, describing the geometric conditions under which a perovskite can form, is much more effective than previously thought and allows us to predict perovskites with a fidelity of 80%. By supplementing this principle with inferential statistics and internet data mining we establish that currently known perovskites are only the tip of the iceberg, and we enumerate 90,000 hitherto-unknown compounds awaiting to be studied. Our results suggest that geometric blueprints may enable the systematic screening of millions of compounds and offer untapped opportunities in structure prediction and materials design.

Thermoelastic and structural properties of ionically conducting cerate perovskites: (II) SrCeO3 between 1273 K and 1723 K

The temperature dependence of the crystal structure and the thermoelastic properties of SrCeO(3) have been determined from Rietveld refinement of high resolution, neutron time-of-flight powder diffraction data collected in 5 K intervals between 1273 K and 1723 K. No evidence was found for critical behaviour in the amplitudes of the modes that soften in zone boundary phase transitions in perovskite-structured phases suggesting SrCeO(3) may remain orthorhombic, space group Pbnm from 1.2 K up to the 1 atm melting point of 2266 K. The temperature variation of the crystal structure has been determined from mode decomposition techniques and the structural evolution has been inferred from the temperature-dependences of the spontaneous shear strain and the order parameter associated with the anti-phase tilt. Thermoelastic properties have been derived from the temperature variation of the unit cell, isobaric heat capacity, and atomic displacement parameters and shows good agreement with earlier work carried out on the lightly doped system SrCe(0.95)Yb(0.05)O(ξ) (ξ∼ 3). Temperature-dependent corrections for the bond valence parameters for strontium and cerium are reported.

The origin of the terrestrial noble-gas signature

In the atmospheres of Earth and Mars, xenon is strongly depleted relative to argon, when compared to the abundances in chondritic meteorites. The origin of this depletion is poorly understood. Here we show that more than one weight per cent of argon may be dissolved in MgSiO(3) perovskite, the most abundant phase of Earth's lower mantle, whereas the xenon solubility in MgSiO(3) perovskite is orders of magnitude lower. We therefore suggest that crystallization of perovskite from a magma ocean in the very early stages of Earth's history concentrated argon in the lower mantle. After most of the primordial atmosphere had been lost, degassing of the lower mantle replenished argon and krypton, but not xenon, in the atmosphere. Our model implies that the depletion of xenon relative to argon indicates that perovskite crystallized from a magma ocean in the early history of Earth and perhaps also Mars.

Computational mineral physics and the physical properties of perovskite

The inherent uncertainties in modern first-principles calculations are reviewed using geophysically relevant examples. The elastic constants of perovskite at lower-mantle temperatures and pressures are calculated using ab initio molecular dynamics. These are used in conjunction with seismic tomographic models to estimate that the lateral temperature contrasts in the Earth's lower mantle are 800 K at a depth of 1000 km, and 1500 K at a depth of 2000 km. The effect of Al(3+) on the compressibility of MgSiO(3) perovskite is calculated using three different pseudopotentials. The results confirm earlier work and show that the compressibility of perovskites with Al(3+) substituted for both Si(4+) and Mg(2+) is very similar to the compressibility of Al(3+)-free perovskite. Even when 100% of the Si(4+) and Mg(2+) ions are replaced with Al(3+), the bulk modulus is only 7% less than that for Al(3+)-free perovskite. In contrast, perovskites where Al(3+) substitutes for Si(4+) only and that are charge balanced by oxygen vacancies do show higher compressibilities. When corrected to similar concentrations of Al(3+), the calculated compressibilities of the oxygen-vacancy-rich perovskites are in agreement with experimental results.

Water in Earth's lower mantle

Secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements show that Earth's representative lower mantle minerals synthesized in a natural peridotitic composition can dissolve considerable amounts of hydrogen. Both MgSiO3-rich perovskite and magnesiowüstite contain about 0.2 weight percent (wt%) H2O, and CaSiO3-rich perovskite contains about 0.4 wt% H2O. The OH absorption bands in Mg-perovskite and magnesiowüstite were also confirmed with the use of infrared microspectroscopic measurements. Earth's lower mantle may store about five times more H2O than the oceans.

Pressure-induced changes in the compression mechanism of aluminous perovskite in the Earth's mantle

Although aluminium is the fifth most abundant element in the Earth's mantle, its effect on the physical properties of perovskite, the main mineral phase in the lower mantle, has largely been ignored. It is becoming clear, however, that many properties of MgSiO3 perovskites are remarkably sensitive to small amounts of aluminium. In particular, perovskite with only 5 wt% Al2O3 has a bulk modulus 10% lower than that of the pure magnesian end-member. The increased compressibility may be due to the high concentrations of oxygen vacancies required to balance the charge of the aluminium; if so, this would have important consequences for the mantle, as aluminous perovskites could be weaker, have lower seismic velocities and be hosts for water. To test whether oxygen vacancies exist in aluminous perovskites, I have calculated the compressibility of end-member defect-bearing perovskites using ab initio methods. The results show that perovskites with oxygen vacancies do have significantly greater compressibilities than those without such vacancies. But the results also suggest that oxygen vacancies become unfavourable at high pressures, in which case only the physical properties of the shallow lower mantle would be affected by aluminium-with the deeper mantle retaining properties similar to those of aluminium-free perovskite.