High-Pressure
Phase Transitions and Structures of Topological Insulator BiTeI
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Abstract
Being a giant bulk Rashba semiconductor,
the ambient-pressure phase of BiTeI was predicted to transform into
a topological insulator under pressure at 1.7–4.1 GPa [Nat. Commun. 2012, 3, 679]. Because the
structure governs the new quantum state of matter, it is essential
to establish the high-pressure phase transitions and structures of
BiTeI for better understanding its topological nature. Here, we report
a joint theoretical and experimental study up to 30 GPa to uncover
two orthorhombic high-pressure phases of <i>Pnma</i> and <i>P</i>4/<i>nmm</i> structures named phases II and III,
respectively. Phases II (stable at 8.8–18.9 GPa) and III (stable
at >18.9 GPa) were first predicted by our first-principles structure
prediction calculations based on the calypso method and subsequently
confirmed by our high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction experiment.
Phase II can be regarded as a partially ionic structure, consisting
of positively charged (BiTe)<sup>+</sup> ladders and negatively charged
I<sup>–</sup> ions. Phase III is a typical ionic structure
characterized by interconnected cubic building blocks of Te–Bi–I
stacking. Application of pressures up to 30 GPa tuned effectively
the electronic properties of BiTeI from a topological insulator to
a normal semiconductor and eventually a metal having a potential of
superconductivity