Theoretical investigation of methane under pressure
J. Chem. Phys. 130, 164520 (2009); doi:10.1063/1.3120487
Published 30 April 2009
You are not logged in to this journal. Log in
We present computer simulations of liquid and solid phases of condensed methane at pressures below 25 GPa, between 150 and 300 K, where no appreciable molecular dissociation occurs. We used molecular dynamics (MD) and metadynamics techniques and empirical potentials in the rigid molecule approximation, whose validity was confirmed a posteriori by carrying out ab initio MD simulations for selected pressure and temperature conditions. Our results for the melting line are in satisfactory agreement with existing measurements. We find that the fcc crystal transforms into a hcp structure with four molecules per unit cell (B phase) at about 10 GPa and 150 K, and that the B phase transforms into a monoclinic high pressure phase above 20 GPa. Our results for solid/solid phase transitions are consistent with those of Raman studies but the phase boundaries estimated in our calculations are at higher pressure than those inferred from spectroscopic data.
©2009 American Institute of Physics
| History: | Received 26 January 2009; accepted 27 March 2009; published 30 April 2009 |
| Permalink: |
http://link.aip.org/link/?JCPSA6/130/164520/1 |
KEYWORDS and PACS
ab initio calculations,
high-pressure solid-state phase transformations,
melting,
molecular dynamics method,
organic compounds
- 62.50.-p
High-pressure effects in solids and liquids - 64.60.Ej
Studies/theory of phase transitions of specific substances - 64.70.kt
Solid-solid transitions in molecular crystals - 61.50.Ks
Crystallographic aspects of phase transformations; pressure effects - 64.70.dj
Melting of specific substances - 61.20.Ja
Computer simulation of liquid structure - YEAR: 2009
RELATED DATABASES
PUBLICATION DATA
0021-9606 (print)
1089-7690 (online)
REFERENCES (34)
For access to fully linked references, you need to log in.
For access to fully linked references, you need to Log in.
- E. Quirico, B. Schmitt, R. Bini, and P. Salvi,
Planet. Space Sci. 44, 973 (1996) . - S. Protopapa, H. Boehnhardt, T. M. Herbst, D. P. Cruikshank, W. M. Grundy, F. Merlin, and C. B. Olkin,
Astron. Astrophys. 490, 365 (2008) . - S. Doute, B. Schmitt, E. Quirico, T. Owen, D. Cruikshank, C. de Bergh, T. Geballe, and T. Roush,
Icarus 142, 421 (1999) . - R. Bini and G. Pratesi, Phys. Rev. B 55, 14800 (1997).
- R. M. Hazen, H. K. Mao, L. W. Finger, and P. M. Bell, Appl. Phys. Lett. 37, 288 (1980).
- H. Hirai, K. Konagai, T. Kawamura, T. Yamamoto, and T. Yagi,
Chem. Phys. Lett. 454, 212 (2008) . - I. Nakahata, N. Matsui, Y. Akahama, and H. Kawamura,
Chem. Phys. Lett. 302, 359 (1999) . - Y. S. Umemoto, T. Yoshii, and H. Kawamura,
J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 14, 10675 (2002) . - Y. A. Freiman, A. F. Goncharov, S. M. Tretyak, A. Grechnev, J. S. Tse, D. Errandonea, H. -K. Mao, and R. J. Hemley, Phys. Rev. B 78, 014301 (2008).
- A. Jephcoat, H. Mao, L. Finger, D. Cox, R. Hemley, and C. Zha, Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 2670 (1987).
- D. Errandonea, B. Schwager, R. Boehler, and M. Ross, Phys. Rev. B 65, 214110 (2002).
- D. Errandonea, R. Boehler, S. Japel, M. Mezouar, and L. Benedetti, Phys. Rev. B 73, 092106 (2006).
- J. Grace and G. Kennedy,
J. Phys. Chem. Solids 28, 977 (1967) . - T. Yagi and H. Suzuki,
Proc. Jpn. Acad., Ser. B: Phys. Biol. Sci. 66, 167 (1990) . - J. C. Steyland, J. E. Crawford, and M. Mastoor,
Can. J. Phys. 38, 1546 (1960) . - A. Laio and M. Parrinello,
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 12562 (2002) . - R. Martoňák, A. Laio, and M. Parrinello, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 075503 (2003).
- R. Martoňák, D. Donadio, A. R. Oganov, and M. Parrinello,
Nature Mater. 5, 623 (2006) . - D. Frenkel and A. J. C. Ladd, J. Chem. Phys. 81, 3188 (1984).
- J. R. Morris, C. Z. Wang, K. M. Ho, and C. T. Chan, Phys. Rev. B 49, 3109 (1994).
- S. Bonev, E. Schwegler, T. Ogitsu, and G. Galli,
Nature (London) 431, 669 (2004) . - W. Smith, M. Leslie, and T. Forester, CCLRC, Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury, England.
- B. Chen and J. I. Siepmann,
J. Phys. Chem. B 103, 5370 (1999) . - F. Gigy, http://eslab.ucdavis.edu/software/qbox/index.htm.
- J. P. Perdew, K. Burke, and M. Ernzerhof, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3865 (1996).
- D. Kofke, J. Chem. Phys. 98, 4149 (1993).
- D. Alfé, Phys. Rev. B 68, 064423 (2003).
- R. Agrawal and D. A. Kofke,
Mol. Phys. 85, 43 (1995) . - M. de Koning, A. Antonelli, and S. Yip, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 3973 (1999).
- M. de Koning, A. Antonelli, and S. Yip, J. Chem. Phys. 115, 11025 (2001).
- R. Martoňák, D. Donadio, A. R. Oganov, and M. Parrinello, Phys. Rev. B 76, 014120 (2007).
- P. Raiteri, R. Martoňák, and M. Parrinello,
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 44, 3769 (2005) . - P. G. Karamertzanis, P. Raiteri, M. Parrinello, M. Leslie, and S. L. Price,
J. Phys. Chem. B 112, 4298 (2008) . - D. Donadio, R. Martonak, P. Raiteri, and M. Parrinello, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 165502 (2008).








