Symmetry mode analysis of the phase transitions in Rb₂ZnBr₄

Abstract

Crystal structures of low temperature phases III, IV and V of Rubidium Zinc Bromide have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction at 90 K, 85 K, and 30 K, respectively. The analysis of the structures in terms of symmetry-adapted modes of the high temperature prototype phase permits the identification of the modes responsible for each phase and to assess its thermal evolution. The primary mode responsible for the incommensurate and lock-in phases remains dominant throughout the whole transition sequence, maintaining its structure and slightly increasing its amplitude as temperature decreases. The two monoclinic phases IV and V are presumably due to the instability of a second mode associated with a single active irreducible representation. However, the presence with similar weights of several symmetry-adapted distortions of different symmetry indicates a strong hybridization in phase III of the softer normal modes. A symmetry-mode description of the structures of phase IV and V fully consistent with a simple Landau model, can then only be obtained if phase III is taken as effective parent phase. Besides the insight on the microscopic origin of the different phases, the symmetry modes were used as crystallographic coordinates in the refinement of the structure of phase V. The result shows the advantages of using these non-conventional collective structural parameters instead of individual atomic coordinates. The refinable parameters can be reduced to the amplitudes of those symmetry modes with significant weight in the distortions.