Phase transitions in K\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eZnCl\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e

It is shown that the potential-energy surface in K2ZnCl4 contains a double-well structure, very similar to some of the other A2BX4 compounds (e.g., K2SeO4, Rb2ZnCl4), except that the double well is much deeper and broader, giving rise to a highly disordered high-temperature phase as observed experimentally. A lattice-dynamics study of the Pna21 structure shows an instability with the wave vector q=0.5b*+(0.5±δ)c*, providing an explanation to the incommensurate phase transition reported recently