High-pressure phase transformation of BeGa2O4

High-pressure phase transformation of beryllium gallium oxide (BeGa2O4) has been studied. Applying high pressure at elevated temperatures to the original hexagonal BeGa2O4 (β–Si3N4-type structure), a high-pressure modification with orthorhombic structure (olivine-type structure) was obtained, i.e., o-BeGa2O4. Lattice parameters of the new phase were determined to be a = 0.5698, b = 0.9759, and c = 0.4551 nm. The pressure and temperature ranges where the high-pressure phase was observed are 3.5 to 7.5 GPa and 800 to 1600 °C, respectively. A tentative pressure-temperature phase diagram for BeGa2O4 was proposed. Transformation is not straightforward; decomposition of the original phase into single oxides and their recombination to form o-BeGa2O4 are necessary. This process seems to apply in both ways, formation and decomposition of the high-pressure phase. The stability of the high-pressure phase is explained in terms of the total molar volume for the phase, the result of summing up molar volumes of constituent compounds. This is the first known report on transformation of β–Si3N4-type structure into a denser structure.