Pressure-induced amorphization in orthorhombic Ta2O5: An intrinsic character of crystal

The phase transition of orthorhombic Ta2O5 was investigated by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The orthorhombic phase transforms into an amorphous form completely at 24.7 GPa. A bulk modulus B-0 = 139 (9) GPa for the orthorhombic Ta2O5 is derived from the P-V data. We suggest that the pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) in Ta2O5 can be attributed to the unstability of the a axis under high pressure leads to the connections of polyhedral breaking down and even triggers disorder of the whole crystal frame. These results demonstrate that the PIA is an intrinsic character of Ta2O5 which depends on its orthorhombic crystal structure rather than nanosize effects. This study provides a new kind of bulk material for investigating PIA in metal oxides. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.