Shock Recovery of the High Pressure Phase Bismuth III

Between 0 and 10 GPa there are five different bismuth phases. High-pressure bismuth (Bi) phases have been examined in static compression experiments; however, none could be recovered to ambient conditions. Here we report Bi-III recovery (stable above 3 GPa) to ambient conditions from a shock compression experiment to 5.7 GPa. Bi-III was identified by synchrotron micro-diffraction and backscatter electron imaging. Our work shows shock-compression provides a tool for recovering high-pressure phases that otherwise elude decompression.