High pressure induced phase transformation through continuous topology evolution in zinc hydroxyfluoride synthesized via a hydrothermal strategy

Abstract Orthorhombic ZnOHF is synthesized via a hydrothermal strategy. Powder X-ray diffraction studies confirm that the prepared samples have a diaspore-type structure. According to the EDS analysis, the O/F ratio in equimolar proportion indicates the nearly perfect stoichiometry. The morphological features observed via SEM and TEM techniques reveal that the product is composed of micro/nanometer-scaled prism-like structures. The band gap estimated from UV–vis absorption measurements is 3.15 eV. The PL emission band is located at 470 nm. The compression behaviors of the as-prepared ZnOHF samples are investigated by using in situ high pressure angle dispersive synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction techniques. The compression behaviors are characteristic of continuous topology evolution. The pressure-induced shearing reduces the symmetry of ZnOHF from the initial space group Pnma to its subgroup Pna 2 1 in the pressure range of 14.2–19.8 GPa. The hints of a further phase transformation to the CdOHF-type structure at 30.7 GPa are also observed.