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Magnetic collapse and low conductivity of Fe3N in the deep interiors of Earth-like planets

MetadataDetails
Publication Date2024-08-09
JournalAmerican Mineralogist
AuthorsYukai Zhuang, Jin Liu, Chaojia Lv, Liangxu Xu, Wenli Bi
InstitutionsYanshan University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Citations1

Abstract The high-pressure behavior of iron nitrides has garnered significant attention due to the potential of deep nitrogen reservoirs within the Earth’s interior. Here, we investigate the magnetic, structural, electrical, and thermal properties of Fe3N up to 62 GPa and 2100 K, using multiple probes (including synchrotron X-ray diffraction, synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy, and electrical measurements) coupled with the diamond-anvil cell technique. Fe3N undergoes a magnetic phase transformation from the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic state at ∼17-20 GPa, 300 K. The equation of state was determined as V0/Z = 42.8(1) Å3, and K0 = 151.8(1) GPa, with K′ fixed at 4. Additionally, Fe3N exhibits unexpectedly low electrical and thermal conductivity under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. This result suggests that deep nitrogen cycling may contribute to the thermal evolution of the deep interiors of Earth and other terrestrial bodies.

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