Effect of high pressure and temperature on ternary adamantine structure compounds

Abstract

Several ternary adamantine structure compounds (CdSnAs₂, CdGeAs₂, ZnSnAs₂, ZnGeAs₂, CuFeS₂, Cu₃AsS₄ and Cu₃AsS₃) have been studied under high pressure and temperature for the first time. Within the pressure range (40 kbar) of our present investigation all except ZnGeAs₂ and Cu₃AsS₃ decomposed when subjected to high pressure and high temperature. It is believed that the decomposition arises from the instability of the cations in the tetrahedral sites. Ordered tetragonal ZnGeAs₂ transforms to the disordered cubic zincblende structure and this phase can be retained at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.