The chemical stability of solid cubane under highpressure was examined with in situ Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) up to 60 GPa. The Raman modes associated with solid cubane were assigned by comparing experimental data with calculations based on density functional perturbation theory, and low-frequency lattice modes are reported for the first time. The equation of state of solid cubane derived from the PXRD measurements taken during compression gives a bulk modulus of 14.5(2) GPa. In contrast with previous work and chemical intuition, PXRD and Raman data indicate that solid cubane exhibits anomalously large stability under extreme pressure, despite its immensely strained 90 degrees C-C-C bond angles.

Despite the pioneering efforts to explore the nature of carbon in carbon-bearing silicate melts under compression, experimental data for the speciation and the solubility of carbon in silicate melts above 4 GPa have not been reported. Here, we explore the speciation of carbon and pressure-induced changes in network structures of carbon-bearing silicate (Na2O-3SiO(2), NS3) and sodium aluminosilicate (NaAlSi3O8, albite) glasses quenched from melts at high pressure up to 8 GPa using multinuclear solid-state NMR. The Al-27 triple quantum (3Q) MAS NMR spectra for carbon-bearing albite melts revealed the pressure-induced increase in the topological disorder around 4 coordinated Al (Al-[4]) without forming Al-[5,Al-6]. These structural changes are similar to those in volatile-free albite melts at high pressure, indicating that the addition of CO2 in silicate melts may not induce any additional increase in the topological disorder around Al at high pressure. C-13 MAS NMR spectra for carbon-bearing albite melts show multiple carbonate species, including Si-[4](CO3)Si-[4], Si-[4](CO3)Al-[4], Al-[4](CO3)Al-[4], and free CO32-. The fraction of Si-[4](CO3)Al-[4] increases with increasing pressure, while those of other bridging carbonate species decrease, indicating that the addition of CO2 may enhance mixing of Si and Al at high pressure. A noticeable change is not observed for Si-29 NMR spectra for the carbon-bearing albite glasses with varying pressure at 1.5-6 GPa. These NMR results confirm that the densification mechanisms established for fluid-free, polymerized aluminosilicate melts can be applied to the carbon-bearing albite melts at high pressure.

We report the catalyst-free synthesis of monolithic mesoporous nanopolycrystalline diamond from periodic mesoporous carbon at pressures between 15 and 21 GPa and a temperature of 1300 degrees C. We investigated the pressure-dependence of the porosity with 3-dimensional electron tomography. We have observed that surface areas increase from 56 to 90, 138 m(2) g(-1), and porosities increase from 10, 24, to 33% for materials produced at 15, 18, and 21 GPa, respectively. The increased porosity at higher pressure may be due to the earlier onset of the nucleation of diamond at higher pressure. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc.

We compute the thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity of solid hcp Fe to pressures and temperatures of Earth's core. We find significant contributions from electron-electron scattering, usually neglected at high temperatures in transition metals. Our calculations show a quasilinear relation between the electrical resistivity and temperature for hcp Fe at extreme high pressures. We obtain thermal and electrical conductivities that are consistent with experiments considering reasonable error. The predicted thermal conductivity is reduced from previous estimates that neglect electron-electron scattering. Our estimated thermal conductivity for the outer core is 77 +/- 10 Wm(-1) K-1 and is consistent with a geodynamo driven by thermal convection.

Subduction is a key process for linking the carbon cycle between the Earth's surface and its interior. Knowing the carbonation and decarbonation processes in the subduction zone is essential for understanding the global deep carbon cycle. In particular, the potential role of hydrocarbon fluids in subduction zones is not well understood and has long been debated. Here we report graphite and light hydrocarbon-bearing inclusions in the carbonated eclogite from the Southwest (S.W.) Tianshan subduction zone, which is estimated to have originated at a depth of at least 80 kilometers. The formation of graphite and light hydrocarbon likely results from the reduction of carbonate under low oxygen fugacity (similar to FMQ - 2.5 log units). To better understand the origin of light hydrocarbons, we also investigated the reaction between iron-bearing carbonate and water under conditions relevant to subduction zone environments using large-volume high-pressure apparatus. Our high-pressure experiments provide additional constraints on the formation of abiotic hydrocarbons and graphite/diamond from carbonate-water reduction. In the experimental products, the speciation and concentration of the light hydrocarbons including methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), and propane (C3H8) were unambiguously determined using gas chromatograph techniques. The formation of these hydrocarbons is accompanied by the formation of graphite and oxidized iron in the form of magnetite (Fe3O4). We observed the identical mineral assemblage (iron-bearing dolomite, magnetite, and graphite) associated with the formation of the hydrocarbons in both naturally carbonated eclogite and the experimental run products, pointing toward the same formation mechanism. The reduction of the carbonates under low oxygen fugacity is, thus, an important mechanism in forming abiotic hydrocarbons and graphite/diamond in the subduction zone settings. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Silicon clathrate, an important allotrope of silicon, has attractive opto-electronic properties for energy applications. However, it remains an experimental challenge to synthesize electrically undoped, intrinsic clathrate. Here we show, through high-throughput computer modeling, that unconventional silicon phases spontaneously nucleate from liquid silicon in the presence of noble gases under high pressure and high temperature. In particular, our results show that a medium-sized noble gas, for example, argon, can trigger the nucleation and growth of inert-gas silicon clathrate, whereas a small noble gas such as helium is able to induce the formation of an unconventional, inclusion-type compound Si2He. The formation of both silicon phases can be attributed to the same thermodynamic and kinetic rationale that explains the crystallization of clathrate hydrate, an isostructural analog. Our findings, along with the gained molecular insights, thus strongly suggest a viable experimental synthesis route for these silicon phases using noble gases at high pressure.

The solidus for the mantle of Mars is an important geophysical parameter in modeling the thermal history and evolution of the planet. This study provides solidus data for a simplified model Martian mantle composition from the midmantle (8 GPa) to the core-mantle boundary (25 GPa) using multianvil experiments. Combining this work with previous studies, the solidus for the entire mantle of Mars is constrained to within 70 degrees C. The major mineral assemblages and phase transitions observed are consistent with those predicted for an iron-rich Martian mantle. The solidus for the Martian composition falls above the solidus of MORB and below that of terrestrial peridotite, providing direct melting data for geophysical modeling of the Martian interior. Our solidus also predicts that a Martian mantle plume should produce melt at depths over a range of 200-350 km in the mantle.