Orientation-Dependent Compressibility of Tin Under High Pressure

This study investigates the effect of initial crystallographic orientation on the high-pressure mechanical properties of high-purity tin (Sn). Two Sn samples from the same package were measured using X-ray diffraction and diamond anvil cells. At ambient pressure, one exhibited random orientation, while the other showed significant preferred orientation (i.e. texture). While both samples exhibited nearly the same bulk moduli in the low-pressure regime (with B0=55.3 and 55.8 GPa, respectively), their mechanical responses differ significantly during the phase transition from β-Sn to the body-centered tetragonal (BCT) phase above 10 GPa. The measured bulk moduli for the BCT phase were 55.4±1.0 GPa for the polycrystal Sn and 86.4±1.2 GPa for the textured one. This result first demonstrates that initial crystallographic orientation plays a critical role in the compressibility of metal.