Collapsed tetragonal phase transition in LaRu2P2

Abstract

<p>The structural properties of LaRu2P2 under external pressure have been studied up to 14 GPa, employing high-energy x-ray diffraction in a diamond-anvil pressure cell. At ambient conditions, LaRu2P2 (<em>I</em>4/<em>mmm</em>) has a tetragonal structure with a bulk modulus of B=105(2) GPa and exhibits superconductivity at Tc=4.1 K. With the application of pressure, LaRu2P2 undergoes a phase transition to a collapsed tetragonal (cT) state with a bulk modulus of B=175(5) GPa. At the transition, the c-lattice parameter exhibits a sharp decrease with a concurrent increase of the a-lattice parameter. The cT phase transition in LaRu2P2 is consistent with a second-order transition, and was found to be temperature dependent, increasing from P=3.9(3) GPa at 160 K to P=4.6(3) GPa at 300 K. In total, our data are consistent with the cT transition being near, but slightly above 2 GPa at 5 K where superconductivity is suppressed. Finally, we compare the effect of physical and chemical pressure in the <em>R</em>Ru2P2 (<em>R</em> = Y, La–Er, Yb) isostructural series of compounds and find them to be analogous.</p>