The Phase Transition of Corundum-Eskolaite Mineral Series Probed by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

The red color of ruby is caused by Cr3+ impurities substituting Al3+ in Al2O3 structure. The complete substitution of Al3+ by Cr3+ produces Cr2O3 that has the green color. In this study, we focused on the phase transition of solid solution between corundum (Al2O3) and eskolaite (Cr2O3) mineral series. A series of Al2O3-Cr2O3 samples were prepared by mixing fine powder of Al2O3 and Cr2O3 in various ratios. They were ground together and then recrystallized. The obtained crystals were ground again in powder form for X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements to avoid polarization dependence. The measurements were carried out at the Cr K-edge absorption energy using a 13-channel array Ge detector in the fluorescence mode. The XANES spectra showed line-shape transitions for 0.125 to 100% variation of Cr2O3. Significant variations in transitions were found when the Cr2O3 content was between 20% and 80%. With Cr2O3 concentration increasing, the sample colors apparently turned from pink to dark green. CIELAB color index measurements were performed. The variations of line-shape spectra of the Al2O3-Cr2O3 samples were found to be consistent with the CIELAB color index results. This Cr K-edge XANES study could be useful for the research in mineral sciences.

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