title: Size-dependent pressure-induced amorphization in nanoscale TiO2.
abstract: We investigated the size-dependent high-pressure phase transition behavior of nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 with synchrotron x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy to 45 GPa at ambient temperature. Pressure-induced amorphization results in a high-density amorphous (HDA) form when the starting crystallite size is < 10 mm. The HDA-TiO2 transforms to a low-density amorphous form at lower pressures. Harnessing the nanometer length scale thus provides a new window for experimental investigation of amorphization in poor glass formers and a synthesis route for new amorphous materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Engineering, Monash University, P.O. Box 69M, Victoria 3800, Australia. Varghese.Swamy@eng.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: Varghese
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Swamy
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuznetsov
authors.forename: Leonid S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Dubrovinsky
authors.forename: Paul F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: Vitali B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Prakapenka
authors.forename: Guoyin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Barry C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Muddle