Experimental Observation of Phase Transition in Sb_2O_3 under High Pressure

The in situ high-pressure behavior of the semiconductor antimony trioxide (Sb_2O_3) is investigated by the Raman spectroscopy techniques and angle-dispersive synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction in a diamond anvil cell up to 31.5 and 30.7 GPa, respectively. New peaks observed in the external lattice mode range in the Raman spectra at 13.5 GPa suggest that the structural phase transition occurs. The group mode (140 cm^-1) in Sb_2O_3 exhibits anomalous pressure dependence; that is, the frequency decreases gradually with the increasing pressure. High pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements at room temperature reveal that the transition from the orthorhombic structure to high-pressure new phase occurs at about 14.2 GPa, corresponding to the softening of the group optic mode (140 cm^-1).