title: Mechanism of H2O insertion and chemical bond formation in AlPO(4)-54·xH2O at high pressure.
abstract: The insertion of H2O in AlPO4-54·xH2O at high pressure was investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Monte Carlo molecular simulation. H2O molecules are concentrated, in particular, near the pore walls. Upon insertion, the additional water is highly disordered. Insertion of H2O (superhydration) is found to impede pore collapse in the material, thereby strongly modifying its mechanical behavior. However, instead of stabilizing the structure with respect to amorphization, the results provide evidence for the early stages of chemical bond formation between H2O molecules and tetrahedrally coordinated aluminum, which is at the origin of the amorphization/reaction process.
authors.affiliation: Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR 5253 CNRS-Université de Montpellier-ENSCM , 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Frederico G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Alabarse
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rouquette
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coasne
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haidoux
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paulmann
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cambon
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haines