High-pressure behavior of gasparite-(Ce) (nominally CeAsO4), a monazite-type arsenate

The high-pressure behavior of the natural arsenate gasparite-(Ce) [Ce0.43La0.24Nd0.15Ca0.11Pr0.04Sm0.02Gd0.01(As0.99Si0.03O4)] from the Mt. Cervandone mineral deposit (Piedmont Lepontine Alps, Italy), has been studied by in situ single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction up to 22.01 GPa. Two distinct high-pressure ramps have been performed, using a 16:3:1 methanol:ethanol:water solution and helium as P-transmitting fluids, respectively. No phase transition occurs within the pressure range investigated, whereas a change in the compressional behavior has been observed at ~ 15 GPa. A second-order Birch-Murnaghan EoS was fitted to the P-V data, leading to a refined bulk modulus of 109.4(3) GPa. The structural analysis has been carried out on the basis of the refined structure models, allowing the description of the deformation mechanisms accommodating the bulk compression in gasparite-(Ce) at the atomic scale, which is mainly controlled by the compression of the Rare Earth Elements coordination polyhedra, while the AsO4 tetrahedra behave as a quasi-rigid units. A micro-Raman spectroscopy analysis, performed at ambient conditions, suggests the presence of hydroxyl groups into the structure of the investigated gasparite-(Ce).