Disorder-order phase transition at high pressure in ammonium fluoride

Abstract

Solid NH₄F displays intriguing parallels with ice despite its apparently ionic character. Here we investigate its phase diagram in low-temperature and high-pressure regions using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and ab initio structure search calculations. We focus on the high-pressure cubic phase which resembles that found in ice under pressure and is also the ambient pressure phase of other ammonium halides. We detect a disorder-order transition above 10 GPa, recalling those found both in other ammonium halides and in ice. The transition reveals itself in the pressure dependence of several Raman modes as well as through the progressive splitting of lattice and bending modes of the cubic phase at low temperatures. An in-depth analysis of the Raman modes and their evolution is made.