Discovery of a low-density filled-ice phase in nitrogen hydrate at high pressure

TL;DR

This study maps the high-pressure phases of nitrogen hydrate, discovering a novel low-density filled-ice structure above 1.8 GPa, which advances understanding of water-nitrogen interactions under extreme conditions.

Contribution

It identifies a new orthorhombic filled-ice phase in nitrogen hydrate at high pressure, expanding the known phase diagram and structural diversity of water-nitrogen compounds.

Findings

Discovery of a new orthorhombic filled-ice phase (NH-V) above 1.8 GPa.

The NH-V phase has a density 30% lower than ice VII.

Nitrogen hydrate forms stable filled-ice structures up to 16 GPa.

Abstract

We map the high-pressure phase diagram of nitrogen hydrate up to 16 GPa at room temperature by combining neutron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and crystal structure prediction. We reveal a rich sequence of structural transformations, from sI/sII clathrates to hexagonal (sH) and tetragonal (sT) phases, culminating in a previously unknown orthorhombic filled-ice structure above 1.8 GPa in the Pnma space group, which we designate as NH-V. This new phase cannot be indexed to any known ice frameworks - such as the high-pressure methane hydrates MH-III (Imma) or MH-IV (Pmcn) - and exhibits a density approximately 30% lower than that of stable ice VII, pointing to distinctive water-nitrogen interactions. Our results refine the understanding of nitrogen hydrate behavior under extreme conditions and demonstrate the propensity of nitrogen and water to form stable filled-ice structures up to 16 GPa, with important implications for planetary science.