Pressure-induced transformations of molecular boron hydride

Decaborane, a molecular boron hydride, was compressed to 131 GPa at room temperature to explore possible non-molecular phases in this system and their physical properties. Decaborane changed its colour from transparent yellow to orange/red above 50 GPa and then to black above 100 GPa, suggesting some transformations. Raman scattering and infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy reveal significant structural changes. Above 100 GPa, B–B skeletal, B–H and B–H–B Raman/IR peaks gradually disappeared, which implies a transformation into a non-molecular phase in which conventional borane-type bonding is lost. The optical band gap of the material at 100 GPa was estimated to be about 1.0 eV.