High-Pressure Investigation of 2,4,6-Trinitro-3-bromoanisole (TNBA): Structural Determination and Piezochromism

Understanding phase transitions in energetic materials is crucial for developing predictive models of detonation. 2,4,6-Trinitro-3-bromoanisole (TNBA), an energetic material, was studied in its single-crystal form up to pressures of 45 GPa in a diamond anvil cell. The material was characterized by using X-ray, Raman, and optical transmission measurements. From single-crystal X-ray diffraction, the ambient structure of TNBA was determined which crystallizes in the P2(1)/c space group having four molecular units per unit cell. The X-ray data up to 9.2 GPa were fitted to a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state by using the parameters K-0 = 13.2(2.4) GPa and K-p = 5.1(1.4). Between 6.8 and 7.3 GPa, a phase transition was inferred in TNBA from concurrent fading of X-ray diffraction, disappearance of Raman peaks, increase in sample fluorescence, and discontinuous color change. The new phase was consistent with an amorphous state of at least partially intact molecules judging from the presence of higher-order Raman modes and irreversibility of the Raman spectra upon release. Piezochromism was observed with the translucent yellow TNBA gradually darkening and becoming opaque black at similar to 25 GPa. This correlated to the absorption edge gradually shifting to the red in the visible spectrum. Signs of two possible additional structural transitions were detected in the 32.4-41.0 GPa range as suggested by a jump in the absorption edge, the irreversible changes in the absorption spectrum upon release to ambient pressure, and by the lack of Raman modes in recovered samples. The crystal and electronic structures of TNBA were also investigated up to 10 GPa by using DFT calculations and crystal structure prediction (CSP) simulations. In agreement with the experimentally observed transition at 7 GPa, the simulations at 10 GPa found a bevy of polymorphs lower in enthalpy and higher in density than P2(1)/c. The lowest calculated enthalpy structure was determined to be P2(1)2(1)2(1), being in a different space group than the ambient experimental result.