Reentrant phase transition and suppression of Jahn-Teller distortion in the quadruple perovskite structure under high pressure


Abstract in English

By means of in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy under hydrostatic pressure, we investigate the stability of the quadruple perovskite LaMn7O12. At 34 GPa, the data unveil a first-order structural phase transition from the monoclinic I2/m symmetry stable at ambient conditions to cubic Im-3 symmetry. Considering that the same structural transition occurs at 653 K upon heating at ambient pressure, we propose a rare scenario of reentrant-type phase transition. In the high-pressure Im-3 phase, the Jahn-Teller distortion of the MnO6 octahedra and the orbital order present in the I2/m phase are suppressed, which is promising to investigate the possibility of pressure-induced Mott insulator-metal transition in the ideal situation of no structural distortions. The observation of a progressive line broadening of almost all Raman modes with pressure suggests that this transition may be incipient above 20 GPa.

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