Pressure induced structural transitions in nanometer size particles of PbS

At elevated pressure, PbS undergoes a first order phase transition from the NaCl or B1 structure to an orthorhombic structure. The effects of particle sizes in the nanometer range on this transition have been investigated using energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction of synchrotron produced wiggler radiation. Relative to the bulk crystals, the onset of transition pressure showed a significant increase with decreasing particle size. The results also show that compressibility increases with decreasing particle size: this increase is continuous through the phase transition.