Pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition in α-SnWO4

In-situ high-pressure W L1 and L3 edges x-ray absorption and mid-infrared spectroscopies complemented by first-principles calculations suggest the existence of pressure- induced insulator-to-metal transition in α-SnWO4 in the range of 5-7 GPa. Its origin is explained by a symmetrization of metal-oxygen octahedra due to a strong interaction of Sn 5s, W 5d and O 2p states along the b-axis direction, leading to a collapse of the band gap.