A glassy carbon phosphonitride material with bulk chemical composition roughly approximating C3N3P was synthesized through a high-pressure, high-temperature process using a pure P(CN)(3) molecular precursor. The resulting material (hereafter referred to as "HPHT-C3N3P") was characterized using a variety of techniques, including X-ray scattering, pair distribution function analysis, P-31, C-13,N-15 magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman and IR spectroscopies. The measurements indicate that HPHT-C3N3 P lacks long-range structural order with a local structure predominantly composed of a sp(2) , s-triazine-like network in which phosphorus atoms substitute for bridging nitrogen sites found in related C3N4 materials. The HPHT-C3N3P sample exhibits semiconducting properties, with electrical transport dominated by variable-range hopping. The high phosphorus content of HPHT-C3N3P (approaching 13 at. %) is associated with a major decrease in the optical absorption edge (similar to 0.4 eV) and a similar to 10(10)-fold increase in electrical conductivity, as compared to previously-reported P-doped graphitic g-C3N4 (0.6-3.8 at. % P). The HPHT-C3N3P sample is considerably harder than layered g-C3N4 and exhibits superior thermal stability up to , similar to 700 degrees C in air. These results demonstrate a remarkable range of tunable properties possible for C3N4-related materials through elemental substitution and provide valuable information to guide the design of new materials.

Whether modern-style subduction exists in Paleoproterozoic has been hotly debated because of the scarcity of robust petrological evidence. Here, we present a comprehensive study of olivine-bearing garnet pyroxenite xenoliths hosted in the Paleoproterozoic Fengzhen carbonatite. The carbonatite is located in the conjugate area between the Paleoproterozoic Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) and the Khondalite Belt in North China Craton (NCC) with a dated age of 1810 +/- 3 Ma. Petrographically, four-stages of evolution have been identified in the studied olivine-bearing garnet pyroxenite: 1) the formation of the protolith spinel websterite (S1), 2) the prograde metamorphism of spinel-lherzolite facies to garnet-lherzolite facies (M1), 3) retrograde metamorphism to Ariegite subfacies (M2) with formation of symplectite-I, and 4) Seiland subfacies (M3) forming symplectite-II. The clinopyroxene in the xenoliths display high Mg# (Mg2+/(Mg2++Fe2+)*100 = 89-94), strongly depleted HREE (heavy REE) and HFSE (high field strength elements; e.g., Nb, Zr, Ti) and enriched LREE (light REE) and LILE (large ion lithophile elements; e.g., Th and U). Similarly, the whole-rock chemistry exhibits high Mg# (85-88) and high Al2O3 + CaO (20.2-21.9 wt%) with enrichment in LREE and LILE (Th, U) and depletion in HREE and HFSE (e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Ti). The geochemical signatures imply that they might originate from the refractory mantle wedge in subduction zone and have been metasomatized by crust-derived melts. Major mineral thermobarometry yields the peak PT conditions of 26-33 kbar and 890-962 degrees C corresponding to a cold subduction geothermal gradient (307 +/- 35 degrees C/GPa) with a depth up to 110 km for olivine-bearing garnet pyroxenites, which is also consistent with the results by zirconium-in-rutile and REE thermobarometers. This studies suggest that that the modern-style subduction of the lithospheric mantle was initiated at least since 1.8 Ga.

Raman spectroscopic measurements of the arsenolite-hydrogen inclusion compound As4O6.2H(2) were performed in diamond anvil cells at high pressure and variable temperature down to 80 K. The experimental results were complemented by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and phonon calculations. Observation of three hydrogen vibrons in As4O6.2H(2) is reported in the entire temperature and pressure range studied (up to 24 GPa). While the experiments performed with protium and deuterium at variable temperatures allowed for the assignment of two vibrons as Q(1)(1) and Q(1)(0) transitions of ortho and para spin isomers of hydrogen trapped in the inclusion compound, the origin of the third vibron could not be unequivocally established. Low-temperature spectra revealed that the lowest-frequency vibron is actually composed of two overlapping bands of A(g) and T-2g symmetries dominated by H-2 stretching modes as predicted by our previous density functional theory calculations. We observed low-frequency modes of As4O6.2H(2) vibrations dominated by H-2 "librations," which were missed in a previous study. A low-temperature fine structure was observed for the J = 0 -> 2 and J = 1 -> 3 manifolds of hydrogen trapped in As4O6.2H(2), indicating the lifting of degeneracy due to an anisotropic environment. A non-spherical distribution was captured by molecular dynamics simulations, which revealed that the trajectory of H-2 molecules is skewed along the crystallographic 111 direction. Last but not least, low-temperature synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction measurements on As4O6.2H(2) revealed that the bulk structure of the compound is preserved down to 5 K at 1.6 GPa.

Observations of high ferric iron content in diamond garnet inclusions and mantle plume melts suggest a highly heterogeneous distribution of ferric iron in the mantle. Recycling of oxidized materials such as carbonates from Earth's surface by subduction could explain the observed variations. Here we present high-pressure high-temperature multi-anvil experiments to determine the redox reactions between calcium-, magnesium-, or iron-carbonate and ferrous iron-bearing silicate mineral (garnet or fayalite) at conditions representative of subduction zones with intermediate thermal structures. We show that both garnet and fayalite can be oxidized to ferric iron-rich garnets accompanied by reduction of calcium carbonate to form graphite. The ferric iron content in the synthetic garnets increases with increasing pressure, and is correlated with the Ca content in the garnets. We suggest that recycled sedimentary calcium carbonate could influence the evolution of the mantle oxidation state by efficiently increasing the ferric iron content in the deep upper mantle. Calcium carbonate transported by subducting slabs could explain elevated ferric iron content in the upper mantle through redox reactions with iron-rich garnet and graphite as products, according to high-pressure, high-temperature experiments

Using first-principles calculations, we predict a lightweight room-temperature ferroelectric carbonboron framework in a host-guest clathrate structure. This ferroelectric clathrate, with composition ScB3C3, exhibits high polarization density and low mass density compared with widely used commercial ferroelectrics. Molecular dynamics simulations show spontaneous polarization with a moderate above-room-temperature T-c of similar to 370 K, which implies large susceptibility and possibly large electrocaloric and piezoelectric constants at room temperature. Our findings open the possibility for a new class of ferroelectric materials with potential across a broad range of applications.

Nitrogen is essential to life, and yet is also the most depleted element in the Earth relative to gas-rich chondrites. A key expression of Earth's N depletion is its elevated sulfur-nitrogen (S/N) ratio. Primordial stratification into a core, mantle, and atmosphere is the largest mass transfer process that terrestrial planets experience, but the data required to evaluate how S/N ratios respond to primordial stratification of Earth-sized planets do not exist. We report new metal-silicate partitioning experiments on N up to 26 GPa and 3437 K. Our data indicate that nitrogen becomes more siderophile with increasing pressure and less siderophile with increasing carbon and nickel in the metal phase. We apply our new experiments with literature data for S partitioning to a core formation-primordial atmosphere degassing model. Our model demonstrates that the S/N ratio of the observable Earth can be set during primordial stratification under the same extreme P-T conditions that satisfy refractory siderophile element budgets while also yielding a bulk planet with S contents near that estimated from Earth's volatility trend.

We report new Os and Hf isotopic data on mafic lavas from several key portions of the East African Rift System (EARS) with the goal of determining how contributions from various source domains influence volcanism in the evolving rift system. Our study uses picrites and basalts associated with the Afar plume in NW Ethiopia and with prolonged extension in Turkana, N Kenya, as well as mafic lavas from Kivu and Rungwe in the Western Branch of the EARS. Basalts from NW Ethiopia and Turkana have low Os concentrations (9-22 ppt) and display a range of Os-187/Os-188 (0.1239-0.4366). The 30 Ma high-TiO2 picrites from NW Ethiopia and 20-23 Ma picrites from Turkana have higher Os concentrations (579-1120 ppt) than associated basalts. Picrites from NW Ethiopia have initial Os-187/Os-188 = 0.1239-0.1311 and epsilon(Hf) = 12.0-13.4, consistent with derivation from a mantle source common to global OIB (i.e. "C"). In contrast, 20-23 Ma Turkana picrites have more radiogenic initial Os-187/Os-188 (0.1450-0.1483). None of the picrites display convincing evidence for crustal or subcontinental lithospheric mantle input. Instead, the data are consistent with geochemical and geophysical models that demonstrate early evolution of the EARS was supported dynamically by geochemically distinct regions of mantle upwelling. Specifically, NW Ethiopian lavas are chemically analogous to the "C"-like Afar plume while Miocene Turkana lavas display HIMU-like geochemical features. The HIMU component in Turkana lavas can be generated by mixing similar to 30% ancient (1.7-2 Ga) hydrothermally altered subducted oceanic crust with similar to 70% "C"-like mantle material (i.e. < 1 Ga recycled hydrothermally altered oceanic crust). In contrast, Kivu and Rungwe lavas have low Os concentrations (3-87 ppt) and more radiogenic Os-187/Os-188 (0.1615-0.3610) that appear to be dominated by contributions from metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Seismological observations indicate that there are thermochemical heterogeneities within the deep-seated African super-plume; these heterogeneities are a plausible source for the ancient recycled oceanic crust contributing to Miocene volcanism in Turkana. We propose that mafic magmatism in both the Afar region and northern Kenya are derived from different portions of this long-lived thermochemical feature. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The discovery of more than 4500 extrasolar planets has created a need for modeling their interior structure and dynamics. Given the prominence of iron in planetary interiors, we require accurate and precise physical properties at extreme pressure and temperature. A first-order property of iron is its melting point, which is still debated for the conditions of Earth's interior. We used high-energy lasers at the National Ignition Facility and in situ x-ray diffraction to determine the melting point of iron up to 1000 gigapascals, three times the pressure of Earth's inner core. We used this melting curve to determine the length of dynamo action during core solidification to the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) structure. We find that terrestrial exoplanets with four to six times Earth's mass have the longest dynamos, which provide important shielding against cosmic radiation.

Isothermal equations of state were determined for the open-framework silicon allotrope Si-24 and its sodium-filled precursor (Na4Si24) using different pressure media including hydrogen and argon, and with no pressure medium. Si-24 does not transform into diamond-cubic silicon under compression, and the low-density phase possesses a bulk modulus of 91(2) GPa. The sodium-filled precursor exhibits a comparable volumetric compressibility with different axial trends that are explained by the crystallographic structure. Above 11 GPa, Si-24 transforms to the beta-tin structure, followed by other high-pressure silicon allotropes similar to diamond-cubic silicon, driven by a large increase in density. Small molecules such as H-2 do not enter the channels of Si-24 during compression at room temperature, however, hydrostaticity strongly influences the transformation pressure and range of coexistence with other phases including beta-Sn, Imma, and simple-hexagonal Si.