Abstract:
Both numerical and experimental studies of the stability and electronic properties of barium–sodium metaborate Ba
2Na
3(B
3O
6)
2F (
P6
3/
m) at pressures up to 10 GPa have been carried out. Electronic-structure calculations with HSE06 hybrid functional showed that Ba
2Na
3(B
3O
6)
2F has an indirect band gap of 6.289 eV. A numerical study revealed the decomposition of Ba
2Na
3(B
3O
6)
2F into the BaB
2O
4, NaBO
2, and NaF phases above 3.4 GPa at 300 K. Subsequent high-pressure high-temperature experiments performed using ‘Discoverer-1500’ DIA-type apparatus at pressures of 3 and 6 GPa and temperature of 1173 K confirmed the stability of Ba
2Na
3(B
3O
6)
2F at 3 GPa and its decomposition into BaB
2O
4, NaBO
2, and NaF at 6 GPa, which was verified by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and Raman spectroscopy. The observed Raman bands of the Ba
2Na
3(B
3O
6)
2F phase were assigned by comparing the experimental and calculated spectra. The experimental Raman spectra of decomposition reaction products obtained at 6 GPa suggest the origin of a new high-pressure modification of barium metaborate BaB
2O
4.