Group description: Dr. Li Zhang’s group mainly studies chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals under high pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions corresponding to deep interior of planets, particularly the Earth. Laser-heated diamond anvil cell (DAC) technology coupled with synchrotron x-ray spectroscopy (XRS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) probes have allowed us to study properties of Earth materials under P-T conditions of the mantle and core. Research focuses include but not limit to: Deep mantle mineralogy; Single-crystal structures of minerals at Megabar pressure; Melting of Earth materials at high pressure; Physics and chemistry at high pressure; Synthesis of functional materials at high P-T conditions; Development of high P-T device and probe techniques.

This research group is interested in the following directions, to find out the latest research progress, click highlights

1). Deep Mantle Mineralogy

The lower mantle comprises 55 percent of the planet by volume. It stretches from the so-called transition zone between it and the upper mantle at 670 kilometers depth and 24 GPa of pressure and the core-mantle boundary at 2,900 kilometers and 136 GPa of pressure. We do not have direct access to the deep Earth. Instead, we have two ways to examine the mantle: high pressure-temperature experiments that artificially squeezing and heating minerals in a lab to see what they turn into; seismic waves that pass through the Earth, slowing down and speeding up depending on the minerals they intersect.

L. Zhang, Y. Meng, W. Yang, L. Wang, W. L. Mao, Q.-S. Zeng, J. S. Jeong, A. J. Wagner, K. A. Mkhoyan, W. Liu, R. Xu, and H.-k. Mao (2014) Disproportionation of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 perovskite in Earth’s deep lower mantle, Science, 344, 877-882, doi: 10.1126/science.1250274.

2).Single-crystal structures of minerals at Megabar pressure

High pressures produce complicated crystal structures. Polycrystalline structural refinement is inadequate, and single-crystal x-ray diffraction will be the idea method for structure refinement.  However, the conventional single-crystal methods require the minimum of 5-10 µm-size single crystals that are unachievable in phase transition studies at ultrahigh pressures. We have overcome this problem by sorting out hundreds of sub-µm crystallites, and determined the structure of each individual single-crystallites.  The method has also opened the new area of high-pressure single-crystal crystallography with expected wide impact in studies of physics, chemistry, Earth, and materials sciences.

L. Zhang, Y. Meng, P. Dera, W. Yang, W. L. Mao, and H.-k. Mao (2013) Single-crystal structure determination of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 postperovskite, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, doi:10.1073/pnas.1304402110.

Zhang, L., Popov, D., Meng, Y., Wang,J., Ji, C., Li, B., and Mao, H.-k. (2016) In-situ crystal structure determination of seifertite SiO2 at 129 GPa: studying a minor phase near Earth’s core–mantle boundary. American Mineralogist, 101, 231-234.  pdf

3).Melting of Earth materials at high pressure

Melting is the most important mechanism by which the terrestrial planets evolve, providing efficient mass and heat transport. Understanding the melting behavior of materials at high pressure remains a hot topic in Earth and planetary sciences and condensed matter physics because of its applications to planetary interiors and contributions to fundamental physics.

L. Zhang and Y. Fei (2008). Melting behavior of (Mg,Fe)O solid solutions at high pressure, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L13302, doi:10.1029/2008GL034585.

4). Physics and chemistry at high pressure

5). Synthesis of functional materials at high P-T conditions

Diamond is a material with superlative properties. It is the material with the greatest hardness and the highest thermal conductivity. We may alter its properties and morphology  through controlling the P-T conditions for synthesis and choosing different starting materials.

L. Zhang, P. Mohanty, N. Coombs, Y. Fei, H.-K. Mao, and K. Landskron (2010). Catalyst-free synthesis of transparent, mesoporous diamond monoliths from periodic mesoporous carbon CMK-8, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, doi:10.1073/pnas.1006938107.

6). Development of high P-T device and probe techniques

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Former members

Ziqiang Yang

Education Background

Master student |HPSTAR, 2018.9-

Bachelor of science |Geology |China University of Geosciences in Beijing  2018.7

Senior high school |Sichuan Deyang NO.5 Middle School  2014.7

Junior high school | Sichuan Deyang NO.5 Middle School  2011.7

Lianjie Man

苘廉洁

Education

2012 – 2016:  B.S. of geology in School of Earth Sciences, ChinaUniversity of Geosciences. (with advisor Prof. Yu Ye)

2016 – Present: Master student ofgeochemistry in School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science andTechnology of China. (with advisor Prof. Liping Qin)

             Joint student in HPSTAR (with advisor Dr. LiZhang)  

Research Interest:

Phase transition and elementpartitioning in the lowermost mantle

更多信息：

   【English Version】

      高压矿物研究组  

简历：

      研究员，博士生导师，从事地球深部和高压科学研究。

研究方向：

      地球深部矿物学

      高压晶体学

      高压新材料

承担科研项目情况：

国家自然科学面上基金 “铁元素对下地幔矿物晶体结构的影响：高压就位单晶结构研究” 2016-2019

国家自然科学基金联合基金项目，U1530402，高压技术及凝聚态物理的前沿突破，2015/02-2018/12，骨干成员

获奖及荣誉：

2016年荣获 “Shen-susun” 地球化学奖

学术论文：

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?sortby=pubdate&hl=en&user=sZ76cxAAAAAJ&view_op=list_works

Li Zhang

Staff Scientist, Shanghai Laboratory of HPSTAR

Tel: +86 (21) 8017-7100

Lu Liu

Research highlights

Presence of hydrous phases explains the sharp D'' discontinuity in the deepest lower mantle

In a lower mantle system, phase changes are associated with element partitioning  in a mineral assemblage under high pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions. On the other hand, the lower mantle is the most massive potential water reservoir in Earth. Some amounts of water may be stored in nominally anhydrous lower mantle phases, and the presence of water components may also stabilize hydrous phases. Due to the technical challenges, how water can alter phase relations in the lower mantle system remains unclear.

In this study, we performed high P-T experiments on a model composition of subducted slabs in the system MgO-Al₂O₃-Fe₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O containing ~7 wt.% water in laser-heated diamond anvil cells over a P-T range of 104‒126 GPa and 1900‒2500 K. The phase assemblages were determined by the combination of in-situ synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ex situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis.

In this hydrous system, the Fe-bearing δ-phase and the pyrite-type FeOOH_x phase were found coexisting with bridgmanite (Bdg), post-perovskite (pPv), or both. we observed that Al depletion in both the Bdg and pPv phases can significantly reduce the width of the Bdg to pPv transition in contrast to a wide two-phase coexistence region in a dry Al-rich system. Meanwhile, the Fe enrichment in the pPv phase relative to the coexisting Bdg phase lowers the transition pressure to the depth of the D'' discontinuity. Accordingly, the depth and thickness of the Bdg to pPv transition in subducted basaltic crustal materials can explain the seismically detected D'' discontinuity.

 This study was published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. EPSL(2019)115714.pdf

Caption: The (Fe,Al)-bearing Bdg to pPv phase transition thickness in our hydrous system is determined to be less than 150 km (~8 GPa). Applying the paritioning coefficients obtained in this study, the Al₂O₃ content in both Bdg and pPv phases can be further reduced from the currect value of ~4 mol% to ~1‒2 mol% in hydrous subducted slabs, and accordingly, the transition thickness can be further reduced.

Discovery of a hexagonal hydrous phase in the deep lower mantle

The Earth’s lower mantle comprises >55% by volume of our planet, extending from 670 to 2900 kilometers in depth. The lower mantle is potentially the most massive water reservoir in our planet, which largely depends on availability of hydrous minerals which can store and transport water down to the deep lower mantle. Through high-pressure-temperature experiments in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell at 107–136 GPa and 2,400 K, we discovered an ultradense hydrous phase in (Fe_0.8Al_0.2)OOH with a previously unknown hexagonal lattice. The team includes Li Zhang, Hongsheng Yuan, Ho-kwang Mao of HPSTAR, and Yue Meng of High Pressure Collaborative Access Team (HPCAT) of the Advanced Photon Source (APS).

By combining powder x-ray diffraction techniques with multigrain indexation, the research team was able to determine the hexagonal hydrous phase with a=10.5803(6) Å and c=2.5897(3) Å stable up to 2400 K at 110 GPa. Tens of individual crystallites, each with its unique orientation matrix, confirm the existence of the hexagonal hydrous phase, referred to as the “HH-phase”. The HH-phase can be formed when δ-AlOOH incorporates Py-phase FeOOH and may store a substantial quantity of water in the deep lower mantle.

The discovery is reported in the Proceeding of the National Academic of Sciences, USA. Link to the paper: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1720510115

Caption: In situ x-ray diffraction observation of the gradual growth of the cubic pyrite phase at expense of the hexagonal hydrous phase in (Fe,Al)OOH within 10 minutes after quenching to room temperature at 107 GPa. Py: the cubic pyrite phase; HH: the hexagonal hydrous phase; Ne: neon was used as pressure medium.

Publications from HPSTAR since 2013

[25] Zhang, L., Chen, Y., Yang, Z., Liu, L., Yang, Y., Dalladay-Simpson, P., Wang, J., Mao, H.-k. (2024) Pressure stabilizes ferrous iron in bridgmanite under hydrous deep lower mantle conditions. Nature Communications, 15, 4333. 

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48665-8

[24] Yang, Z., Song, Z., Wu, Z., Mao, H.-k., Zhang, L. (2024) Iron silicate perovskite and post-perovskite in the deep lower mantle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(17), e2401281121.  

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2401281121

[23] Dalladay-Simpson, P., Monserrat, B., Zhang, L., Gorelli F. (2024) Distinct vibrational signatures and complex phase behavior in metallic oxygen. Matter Radiat. Extremes, 9(2), 028401. 

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0160060

[22] Yang, Z., Yuan, H., Liu, L., Giordano, N., Chen, Y., Zhang, L. (2023) Chemical reaction between ferropericlase (Mg,Fe)O and water under high pressure-temperature conditions of the deep lower mantle. American Mineralogist, 108, 530–535. 

https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2022-8390

[21] L. Zhang*, Bridgmanite across the lower mantle, Nature Geoscience, 15, 964 (2022). 

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01099-7

[20] 杨晓, 李元, 张莉, 王煜, 刘锦, 张凯(2022). 实验地球化学的发展历史和研究展望. 地球科学, 47(8), 2679-2690. https://doi.org/10.3799/dqkx.2022.240

[19] Liu, L., Yuan, H., Yao, Y., Yang, Z., Gorelli, F. A., Giordano, N., He L., Ohtani E, and Zhang, L. (2022). Formation of an Al-rich niccolite-type silica in subducted oceanic crust: Implications for water transport to the deep lower mantle. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2021GL097178. 

https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL097178

[18] Zhang, L. Wang, J., Mao, H.-k. (2022) Multigrain Crystallography at Megabar Pressures, in Y. Fei, M Walter (Eds.), Static and Dynamic High Pressure Mineral Physics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pages 221-238.

[17] Lu Liu, Ziqiang Yang, Hongsheng Yuan, Yue Meng, Nico Giordano, Junliang Sun, Xueyan Du, Philip Dalladay-Simpson, Junyue Wang, Li Zhang (2022) Stability of a Mixed-Valence Hydrous Iron-Rich Oxide: Implications for Water Storage and Dynamics in the Deep Lower Mantle. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 127, e2022JB024288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022JB024288

[16] Yuan, H., Man, L., Kim, D. Y., Popov, D., Meng, Y., Greenberg, E., Prakapenka, V. B.,  Zhang, L. (2022) HP-PdF₂-type FeCl₂ as a potential Cl-carrier in the deep Earth. American Mineralogist, 107, 313-317. 

https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2022-8283

[15] 苘廉洁, 苑洪胜 , 秦礼萍 , 张莉 (2019) 下地幔温压条件下碳对(Mg,Fe)SiO₃布里奇曼石的影响. 高压物理学报, 33(6): 060102. https://doi.org/ 10.11858/gywlxb.20190788               

[14] Yuan, H., Zhang, L., Ohtani, E., Meng, Y., Greenberg, E., Prakapenka, V. B. (2019) Stability of Fe-bearing hydrous phases and element partitioning in the system MgO-Al2O3-Fe2O3-SiO2-H2O in Earth's lowermost mantle. EPSL, 524, 115714.  pdf

 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115714

[13] Li Zhang, Hongsheng Yuan, Yue Meng, Ho-kwang Mao (2019) Development of high-pressure multigrain X-ray diffraction for exploring Earth’s interior. Engineering.  5,  441–447.  Engineering-2019.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2019.02.004

[12] Li Zhang, Hongsheng Yuan, Yue Meng, Ho-kwang Mao (2018) Discovery of a hexagonal ultradense hydrous phase in (Fe,Al)OOH.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 115 (12), 2908-2911.

ZhangLi_PNAS18.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1720510115

[11] 刘 曦, 代立东, 邓力维, 范大伟, 刘 琼, 倪怀玮, 孙 樯, 巫 翔, 杨晓志, 翟双猛, 张宝华, 张 莉,李和平 (2017) 近十年我国在地球内部物质高压物性实验研究方面的主要进展. 高压物理学报,  31(6), 657-681.

高压物理学报-2017.pdf

[10] Ho-kwang Mao, Qingyang Hu, Liuxiang Yang, Jin Liu, Duck Young Kim, Yue Meng, Li Zhang, Vitali B. Prakapenka, Wenge Yang, Wendy L. Mao (2017) When water meets iron at Earth's core-mantle boundary. National Science Review, nwx109. pdf

https://doi.org/org/10.1093/nsr/nwx109

[9] Merlini, M., Cerantola, V., Gatta, G. D., Gemmmmi, M., Hanfland, M., Kupenko, I., Lotti, P.,  Müllller, H. and Zhang, L. (2017) Dolomite-IV: Candidate structure for a carbonate in the Earth’s lower mantle. American Mineralogist, 102(8), 1763-1766.

https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2017-6161

[8] Yuan, H.,  Zhang, L. (2017) In situ determination of crystal structure and chemistry of minerals at Earth's deep lower mantle conditions. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 1-12.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mre.2017.01.002 

[7] Hu, Q., Kim, D. Y., Yang, W., Yang, L., Meng, Y., Zhang, L., and Mao, H.-k. (2016) FeO2 and FeOOH under deep lower mantle conditions and the Earth’s oxygen-hydrogen cycles. Nature, 534, 241-244.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18018

[6] Zhang, L., Meng, Y., Mao, H.-k. (2016)  Unit cell determination of coexisting post-perovskite and H-phase in (Mg,Fe)SiO3 using multigrain XRD: compositional variation across a laser heating spot at 119 GPa. Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, 3:13. pdf

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-016-0091-8

[5] Zhang, L., Popov, D., Meng, Y., Wang,J., Ji, C., Li, B., and Mao, H.-k. (2016) In-situ crystal structure determination of seifertite SiO2 at 129 GPa: studying a minor phase near Earth’s core–mantle boundary. American Mineralogist, 101, 231-234.  pdf

https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2016-5525

[4] 张莉 (Li Zhang), 地球深部与高压晶体学研究进展, 2015科学发展报告 (中国科学院年度报告系列), 北京: 科学出版社，2015年5月.   pdf

[3] Zhang, L., Meng, Y., Yang, W., Wang,L., Mao, W.L., Zeng, Q.S., Jeong, J.S., Wagner, A.J., Mkhoyan, K.A., Liu, W.,Xu, R., and Mao, H.K. (2014) Disproportionation of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 perovskite in Earth's deep lower mantle. Science, 344(6186), 877-882. pdf

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1250274 

[2] Shi, C.Y., Zhang, L., Yang, W., Liu, Y., Wang, J.,Meng, Y., Andrews, J.C., and Mao, W.L. (2013) Formation of an interconnected network of iron melt at Earth’s lower mantle conditions. Nature Geoscience, 6(11), 971-975.

https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1956

[1] Zhang, L., Meng, Y., Dera, P., Yang,W., Mao, W.L., and Mao, H.-k. (2013) Single-crystal structure determination of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 postperovskite. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,110(16), 6292-6295.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1304402110

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Postdoctoral positions on Mineral Physics and Crystallography

The mineral physics group ofthe Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR) in Shanghai, seeks applications for two postdoctoral positions in the field of mineral physics and crystallography. Successful candidates will be expected to travel to the synchrotron or neutron facilities worldwide and conduct high-pressure research.

Minimum qualifications: A PhD in mineral physics, materials science or chemistry is required at the time of appointment. Successful candidates are expected to be able to work in both independent and collaborative group environments.

Desired qualifications: A strong background in crystallography will be favored. Research experience in synchrotron or neutron facilities and good skills in diamond anvil celltechnology will be considered advantages.

The appointment is for one year and can be reviewed for the second year upon satisfactory performance. The positions are available immediately, and will remain open until they are filled. Applicants should contact Dr. Li Zhang (zhangli@hpstar.ac.cn) to discuss potential research projects.

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