High pressure study of spinel chromite

Chromite has one of the most important crystal structures, the spinel structure; therefore its high pressure behavior has significant implications to the foundation of a wide range of materials. It is also found throughout our Earthfs interior. These facts make its high pressure studies important to materials science, physics, geosciences, and crystallography. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements of chromite were performed using a symmetrical diamond anvil cell to 41.2 GPa. The data was fit using the third order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, and the bulk modulus KOT was determined to be 197}19 GPa with KŒOT=66}12 when fitting data to 16 GPa. Further investigation revealed a pressure induced phase transformation at 28.2 GPa.