The structural response of gadolinium phosphate to pressure

Accurate elastic constants for gadolinium phosphate (GdPO4) have been measured by single-crystal high-pressure diffraction methods. The bulk modulus of GdPO4 determined under hydrostatic conditions, 128.1(8) GPa (Kʹ=5.8(2)), is markedly different from that obtained with GdPO4 under non-hydrostatic conditions (160(2) GPa), which indicates the importance of shear stresses on the elastic response of this phosphate. High pressure Raman and diffraction analysis indicate that the PO4 tetrahedra behave as rigid units in response to pressure and that contraction of the GdPO4 structure is facilitated by bending/twisting of the Gd–O–P links that result in increased distortion in the GdO9 polyhedra.