Pressure-induced stabilization of carbonic acid and other compounds in the C-H-O system

We investigated the stability of polymeric CO2 over a wide range of pressures, temperatures, and chemical environments. We find that the I-42d polymeric structure, consisting of a three-dimensional network of corner sharing CO4 tetrahedra, forms at 40-140 GPa and from a CO-N2 mixture at 39 GPa. An exceptional stability field of 0 to 286 GPa and 100 to 2500 K is documented for this structure, making it a viable candidate for planetary interiors. The stability of the tetrahedra...

We study the stability of Li-O compounds as a function of pressure, with Li ion battery applications and fundamental chemical interest in mind. Using the ab initio evolutionary algorithm, we predict stability of novel compounds LiO4, Li5O3 and Li6O under pressure. LiO4, formed at the pressure of just 6 GPa, can be seen as {\epsilon}-O8 accepting two electrons from two Li atoms. This phase is superconducting, with Tc up to 12.2 K at 10 GPa. This is remarkable, because elementa...

To understand the most-recent experiment on room-temperature superconductivity in carbonaceous sulfur hydride (CSH) systems under high pressure, we have performed extensive stoichiometry and structure searches of ternary CSH compounds using generic evolutionary algorithms. Judged from the formation enthalpy of different CSH compounds, our studies conclude that certain levels of carbon doping (~5%-6%) in sulfur hydride (H$_3$S) in its R3m and phases gives rise to the most-stab...

The chemistry of carbon in aqueous fluids at extreme pressure and temperature conditions is of great importance to Earth's deep carbon cycle, which substantially affects the carbon budget at Earth's surface and global climate change. At ambient conditions, the concentration of carbonic acid in water is negligible, so aqueous carbonic acid was simply ignored in previous geochemical models. However, by applying extensive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations at pressure and ...

Crystal structure prediction methods and first-principles calculations have been used to explore low-energy structures of carbon monoxide (CO). Contrary to the standard wisdom, the most stable structure of CO at ambient pressure was found to be a polymeric structure of Pna21 symmetry rather than a molecular solid. This phase is formed from six-membered (4 Carbon + 2 Oxygen) rings connected by C=C double bonds with two double-bonded oxygen atoms attached to each ring. Interest...

By employing $ab$ $initio$ molecular dynamics simulations at constant pressure, we investigated behavior of amorphous carbon dioxide between 0-100 GPa and 200-500 K and found several new amorphous forms. We focused on evolution of the high-pressure polymeric amorphous form known as a-carbonia on its way down to zero pressure, where it eventually converts into a molecular amorphous solid. During decompression, two nonmolecular amorphous forms with different proportion of three...

This paper introduces the HEX (High-pressure Elemental Xstals) database, a complete database of the ground-state crystal structures of the first 57 elements of the periodic table, from H to La, at 0, 100, 200 and 300 GPa. HEX aims to provide a unified reference for high-pressure research, by compiling all available experimental information on elements at high pressure, and complementing it with the results of accurate evolutionary crystal structure prediction runs based on De...

High-pressure can transform the structures and compositions of materials either by changing the relative strengths of bonds or by altering the oxidation states of atoms. Both effects cause unconventional compositions in novel compounds that have been synthesized or predicted in large numbers in the past decade. What naturally follows is a question: what if pressure imposes strong effects on both chemical bonds and atomic orbitals in the same material. A systematic DFT and cry...

Structural behavior and equation of state of atomic and molecular crystal phases of dense hydrogen at pressures up to 3.5 TPa are systematically investigated with density functional theory. The results indicate that the Vinet EOS model that fitted to low-pressure experimental data overestimates the compressibility of dense hydrogen drastically when beyond 500 GPa. Metastable multi-atomic molecular phases with weak covalent bonds are observed. When compressed beyond about 2.8 ...

Gas hydrates are systems of prime importance. In particular, hydrogen hydrates are potential materials of icy satellites and comets, and may be used for hydrogen storage. We explore the H2O-H2 system at pressures in the range 0-100 GPa with ab initio variable-composition evolutionary simulations. According to our calculation and previous experiments, the H2O-H2 system undergoes a series of transformations with pressure, and adopts the known open-network clathrate structures (...