Surprising phase diagram of EuPd3S4 under pressure

Scientific Achievement

Multiple, diverse high-pressure measurements were used to study the inhomogeneous mixed valence EuPd3S4.

EuPd3S4
Pressure dependence of electronic, magnetic and structural properties of EuPd3S4 shown together with the picture of a EuPd3S4 crystal and image of a diamond pressure  cell

Under pressure, it exhibits an eight-fold increase of the Néel temperature followed by a structural transition to a lower symmetry structure that coincides with a transition to a fully non-magnetic state.

Significance and Impact

The phase diagram for EuPd3S4 differs significantly from the proposed global phase diagram for Eu-compounds, emphasizing opportunities Eu-based compounds present for developing new insights into mixed valent behavior.

Research Details
  • Electrical resistance, x-ray diffraction, synchrotron Mossbauer spectroscopy and partial fluorescence-yield x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements on EuPd3S4 were performed under pressure up to 30-60 GPa.
  • Comprehensive temperature - pressure phase diagram was constructed. 
     

Shuyuan Huyan, Dominic H. Ryan, Tyler J. Slade, Barbara Lavina, Greeshma Jose, Haozhe Wang, John M. Wilde, Raquel A. Ribeiro, Jiyong Zhao, Weiwei Xie,  Wenli Bi, Esen E. Alp, Sergey L. Bud’ko, Paul C. Canfield, PNAS 120, e2310779120 (2023)