Formation of a New Phase of C60 under the Combined Action of High-Pressure and X-Ray Radiation

International audienceIn a recent work by Meletov et al., the further high-pressure photoinduced polymerization of the orthorhombic 1-D phase of C60 was demonstrated using Raman scattering. The pressure of the transition is about 0.3 GPa at 300 K. In our present work, a similar process is now established using X-ray irradiation as well as in-situ high-pressure X-ray powder diffraction in a diamond anvil cell. The transformation to a new phase through the simultaneous action of pressure and X-rays is observed between 0.2 and 1.66 GPa, in agreement with the aforementioned Raman results. A further increase in pressure leads gradually to the formation of a disordered phase