Pressure induced phase transformation and instability of ZnS and ZnSe nanocrystals

Pressure induced phase transformation and instability of ZnS and ZnSe nanocrystals Monika Goyal & B.R.K.Gupta Department of Physics, IAH GLA University, Mathura-281406, (U.P.), INDIA _____________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: A simple theoretical approach has been proposed to study the compressional and elastic behavior of nanomaterials using the size dependent equation of state under high pressure. The volume compression, being the main factor to identify the change in transition pressure during transformation from zinc blende (ZB) structure to the rock salt (RS) structure, is determined as a function of pressure. The application of equation of state has also been extended to analyse the pressure dependence of second order elastic constants (SOECs) of ZnS and ZnSe nanosemiconductors in order to judge the mechanical instability at their respective transition pressures. A good agreement between the theory and experiment supports the suitability of the formulation used in the present study.