In situ high pressure phase transition of alcohol intercalated zirconium phosphate observed by synchrotron X-ray scattering Original Research Article

Measurements made on the SAXS beamline at Sincrotrone Elettra in Trieste indicated that a phase transition in which the alkanol chains undergo a change from an all trans-conformation to a conformation in which the O–C1–C2–C3 torsion angle changes from 180 to 136° could be induced by a pressure change. p–T phase diagrams of 1-octanol, 1-nonanol, and 1-decanol intercalated alpha zirconium hydrogenphosphate were constructed. From them, the existence of both phases with different basal spacings is obvious. It can be deduced from the comparison of the data for the 1-octanol and 1-nonanol intercalates that the pressure at which this transition occurs, decreases with increasing length of the alkanol chain.