Pressure-induced structural transition and metallization in MnSe2

The high-pressure behavior of manganese diselenide MnSe2 was investigated by synchrotron angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction (ADXRD) and infrared reflection spectroscopy equipped with a diamond-anvil cell. It was found that MnSe2 with a pyrite-type structure undergoes a transformation into a disordered intermediate phase at ~ 12.5 GPa, with a ground state composed of an arsenopyrite-type structure, as confirmed by laser-heating treatment. The pyrite to arsenopyrite phase transition was found to be coupled to a large collapse in the unit-cell volume (∆V ~ 19%) and an electronic transition from a high-spin to low-spin state for manganese cations (Mn2+). With a fixed value for the pressure derivation of the bulk modulus K' = 4, fitting of the pressure–volume data to a second-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state yielded isothermal bulk modulus values of K0 = 56.1(9) GPa and K0 = 93.1(4) GPa for the pyrite-type and arsenopyrite-type phases, respectively. The measured infrared reflectivity (Rsd) for MnSe2 showed a drastic increase at pressures between 13 and 20 GPa, but became insensitive to pressure under further compression, implying a pressure-induced transition from an insulator to metallic state.