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APS » Journals » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 103 » Issue 6
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 065701 (2009) [4 pages]

Novel Pressure-Induced Interactions in Silane-Hydrogen

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Timothy A. Strobel*, Maddury Somayazulu, and Russell J. Hemley
Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C. 20015, USA

Received 25 May 2009; revised 29 June 2009; published 3 August 2009

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We report novel molecular compound formation from silane-hydrogen mixtures with intermolecular interactions unprecedented for hydrogen-rich solids. A complex H2 vibron spectrum with anticorrelated pressure-frequency dependencies and a striking H-D exchange below 10 GPa reveal strong and unusual attractive interactions between SiH4 and H2 and molecular bond destabilization at remarkably low pressure. The unique features of the observed SiH4(H2)2 compound suggest a new range of accessible pressure-driven intermolecular interactions for hydrogen-bearing simple molecular systems and a new approach to perturb the hydrogen covalent bond.

© 2009 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.065701
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.065701
PACS:
64.70.kt, 62.50.−p, 78.30.−j

*tstrobel@ciw.edu

 
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