Pressure-induced evolution of structural and electronic properties in the multicomponent Perovskite Eu(Ti0.18Cr0.23Ni0.29Cu0.30)O 3

The complex interplay between chemical disorder and physical properties under pressure remains a central challenge in condensed matter physics. We investigate the high pressure behavior of the multicomponent perovskite Eu(Ti 0.18 Cr 0.23 Ni 0.29 Cu 0.30 )O 3 up to 32 GPa using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and density functional theory (DFT). Diffraction data reveal the remarkable stability of the orthorhombic Pbnm phase without structural transitions. The measured value of the bulk modulus of Eu(Ti 0.18 Cr 0.23 Ni 0.29 Cu 0.30 )O 3 (142 GPa) lies between the values of binary perovskites EuNiO 3 and EuCrO 3 . DFT results reveal a strong coupling between the localized Eu 4 f states and the disordered transition-metal sublattice. Under pressure, Eu 4 f orbitals shift away from the Fermi level, while the spin-down channel displays a narrowing indirect band gap, culminating in an insulator–metal transition near 30 GPa for one cation configuration. This evolution is driven by Ni/Cu 3d–O 2 p hybridization and is highly sensitive to the cation arrangement. Our results demonstrate that multicomponent perovskites under compression exhibit properties that are beyond a simple average of their constituents, governed instead by cation-specific responses, chemical disorder, and the unique role of Eu 4 f electrons. • Synthesis of the phase-stable multicomponent perovskite up to 32 GPa. • DFT and experiment agree on EOS demonstrating a strong coupling of 4f states. • Pressure-driven band gap closure in spin-down channel is verified.