Negative thermal expansion of ReO3 in the extended temperature range

摘要

We reported previously [T. Chatterji , Phys. Rev. B 78, 134105 (2008)] negative thermal expansion (NTE) in ReO3 in the limited temperature range from 2 to 220 K. Here we discovered NTE in ReO3 at higher-temperature region from 600 to 680 K. We determined the temperature variation in the lattice parameter and the unit cell volume of ReO3 by neutron diffraction. The temperature variation in the lattice parameter and the unit cell volume show two regions of NTE and two minima. We attribute the NTE of ReO3 to be the result of anharmonicity and anomalous softening of M-3 phonon mode.