New insights on the GeSeTe phase diagram from theory and experiment.

The high-pressure and low-temperature behaviour of the GeSeTe system (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.75, 1) was studied using a combination of powder diffraction measurements and first-principles calculations. Compounds in the stability field of the GeTe structure type (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5) follow the high-pressure transition pathway: GeTe-I (R3m) → GeTe-II (f.c.c.) → GeTe-III (Pnma). The newly determined GeTe-III structure is isostructural to β-GeSe, a high-pressure and high-temperature polymorph of GeSe. Pressure-dependent formation enthalpies and stability regimes of the GeSeTe polymorphs were studied by DFT calculations. Hexagonal GeSeTe is stable up to at least 25 GPa. Significant differences in the high-pressure and low-temperature behaviour of the GeTe-type structures and the hexagonal phase are highlighted. The role of Ge...Ge interactions is elucidated using the crystal orbital Hamilton population method. Finally, a sketch of the high-pressure phase diagram of the system is provided.