The response of materials under extreme temperature and pressure conditions is a topic of great significance because of its relevance in astrophysics, geophysics, and inertial confinement fusion. In recent years, environments exceeding several hundred gigapascals in pressure have been produced in the laboratory via laser-based dynamic loading techniques. Shock-loading is of particular interest as the shock provides a fiducial for measuring time-dependent processes in the lattice such as phase transitions. Time-resolved x-ray diffraction is the only technique that offers an insight into these shock-induced processes at the relevant spatial (atomic) and temporal scales. In this study, nanosecond resolution x-ray diffraction techniques were developed and implemented towards the study of shock-induced phase transitions in polycrystalline materials. More specifically, the capability of a focusing x-ray diffraction geometry in high-resolution in situ lattice measurements was demonstrated by probing shock-compressed Cu and amorphous metallic glass samples. In addition, simultaneous lattice and free surface velocity measurements of shock-compressed Mg in the ambient hexagonal close packed (hcp) and shock-induced body centered cubic (bcc) phases between 12 and 45 GPa were performed. These measurements revealed x-ray diffraction signals consistent with a compressed bcc lattice above a shock pressure of 26.2±1.3 GPa, thus capturing for the first time direct lattice evidence of a shock-induced hcp to bcc phase transition in Mg. Our measurement of the hcp-bcc phase boundary in Mg was found to be consistent with the calculated boundary from generalized pseudopotential theory in the pressure and temperature region intersected by the principal shock Hugoniot. Furthermore, the subnanosecond timescale of the phase transition implied by the shock-loading conditions was in agreement with the kinetics of a martensitic transformation. In conclusion, we report on the progress and future work towards time-resolved x-ray diffraction measurements probing solid-liquid phase transitions in high Z polycrystalline materials, specifically Bi. / text

<p>This thesis is concerned with <i>in-situ</i> time-, temperature- and pressure-resolved synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction investigations of a variety of inorganic compounds with twodimensional layer structures and three-dimensional framework structures. In particular, phase stability, reaction kinetics, thermal expansion and compressibility at non-ambient conditions has been studied for 1) Phosphates with composition <i>M</i><i>IV</i>(HPO₄)₂·<i>n</i>H₂O (<i>M</i><i>IV</i> = Ti, Zr); 2) Pyrophosphates and pyrovanadates with composition<i> M</i><i>IV</i>X₂O₇(<i>M</i><i>IV</i> = Ti, Zr and X = P, V); 3) Molybdates with composition ZrMo₂O₈. The results are compiled in seven published papers and two manuscripts.</p><p>Reaction kinetics for the hydrothermal synthesis of α-Ti(HPO₄)₂·H₂O and intercalation of alkane diamines in α-Zr(HPO₄)₂·H₂O was studied using time-resolved experiments. In the high-temperature transformation of γ-Ti(PO₄)(H₂PO₄)·2H₂O to TiP₂O₇ three intermediate phases, γ'-Ti(PO₄)(H₂PO₄)·(2-x)H₂O, β-Ti(PO₄)(H₂PO₄) and Ti(PO₄)(H₂P₂O₇)_0.5 were found to crystallise at 323, 373 and 748 K, respectively. A new tetragonal three-dimensional phosphate phase called τ-Zr(HPO₄)₂ was prepared, and subsequently its structure was determined and refined using the Rietveld method. In the high-temperature transformation from τ-Zr(HPO₄)₂ to cubic α-ZrP₂O₇two new orthorhombic intermediate phases were found. The first intermediate phase, ρ-Zr(HPO₄)₂, forms at 598 K, and the second phase, β-ZrP₂O₇, at 688 K. Their respective structures were solved using direct methods and refined using the Rietveld method. <i>In-situ</i> high-pressure studies of τ-Zr(HPO₄)₂revealed two new phases, tetragonal ν-Zr(HPO₄)₂and orthorhombic ω-Zr(HPO₄)₂ that crystallise at 1.1 and 8.2 GPa. The structure of ν-Zr(HPO₄)₂ was solved and refined using the Rietveld method.</p><p>The high-pressure properties of the pyrophosphates ZrP₂O₇ and TiP₂O₇, and the pyrovanadate ZrV₂O₇were studied up to 40 GPa. Both pyrophosphates display smooth compression up to the highest pressures, while ZrV₂O₇ has a phase transformation at 1.38 GPa from cubic to pseudo-tetragonal β-ZrV₂O₇ and becomes X-ray amorphous at pressures above 4 GPa.</p><p>In-situ high-pressure studies of trigonal α-ZrMo₂O₈ revealed the existence of two new phases, monoclinic δ-ZrMo₂O₈and triclinic ε-ZrMo₂O₈ that crystallises at 1.1 and 2.5 GPa, respectively. The structure of δ-ZrMo₂O₈was solved by direct methods and refined using the Rietveld method.</p>

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