Sulfur chains glass formed by fast compression

Kaiyuan Shi, Xiao Dong, Zhisheng Zhao, Lei Su (), Cheng Ji, Bing Li, Jiaqing Zhang, Xingbang Dong, Pu Qiao, Xin Zhang, Haotian Yang, Guoqiang Yang (), Eugene Gregoryanz () and Ho-kwang Mao ()
Additional contact information
Kaiyuan Shi: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiao Dong: Nankai University
Zhisheng Zhao: Yanshan University
Lei Su: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Cheng Ji: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Bing Li: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Jiaqing Zhang: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Xingbang Dong: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Pu Qiao: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Xin Zhang: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research
Haotian Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guoqiang Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Eugene Gregoryanz: Pudong
Ho-kwang Mao: Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Due to the sulfur’s atoms’ propensity to form molecules and/or polymeric chains of various sizes and configuration, elemental sulfur possesses more allotropes and polymorphs than any other element at ambient conditions. This variability of the starting building blocks is partially responsible for its rich and fascinating phase diagram, with pressure and temperature changing the states of sulfur from insulating molecular rings and chains to semiconducting low- and high-density amorphous configurations to incommensurate superconducting metallic atomic phase. Here, using a fast compression technique, we demonstrate that the rapid pressurisation of liquid sulfur can effectively break the molecular ring structure, forming a glassy polymeric state of pure-chain molecules (Am-SP). This solid disordered chain state appears to be (meta)stable in the P-T region usually associated with phase I made up of S8. The elemental sulfur glass, made up from one of the simplest building blocks, offers a unique prospect to study the structure and property relationships of various other phases of sulfur and their interactions. More importantly, the fast compression technique performed at any temperature effectively like thermal quenching, opening up possibilities in high pressure synthesis by providing an effective and fast way of changing the fundamental thermodynamical parameter.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55028-w

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