Novel high-pressure phase of ZrO2: An ab initio prediction
Özet
The high-pressure behavior of the orthorhombic cotunnite type ZrO2 is explored using an ab initio
constant pressure technique. For the first time, a novel hexagonal phase (Ni2In type) within P63/mmc
symmetry is predicted through the simulation. The Ni2In type crystal is the densest high-pressure phase
of ZrO2 proposed so far and has not been observed in other metal dioxides at high pressure before. The
phase transformation is accompanied by a small volume drop and likely to occur around 380 GPa in
experiment.
