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Water transported into Earth's interior by subduction strongly influences dynamics such as volcanism and plate tectonics. Several recent studies have reported hydrous minerals to be stable at pressure and temperature conditions representative of Earth's deep interior, implying that surface water may be transported as far as the core-mantle boundary. However, the hydrous mineral goethite, α-FeOOH, was recently reported to decompose under the conditions of the middle region of the lower mantle to form FeO and release H, suggesting the upward migration of hydrogen and large fluctuations in the oxygen distribution within the Earth system. Here we report the stability of FeOOH phases at the pressure and temperature conditions of the deep lower mantle, based on first-principles calculations and in situ X-ray diffraction experiments. In contrast to previous work suggesting the dehydrogenation of FeOOH into FeO in the middle of the lower mantle, we report the formation of a new FeOOH phase with the pyrite-type framework of FeO octahedra, which is much denser than the surrounding mantle and is stable at the conditions of the base of the mantle. Pyrite-type FeOOH may stabilize as a solid solution with other hydrous minerals in deeply subducted slabs, and could form in subducted banded iron formations. Deep-seated pyrite-type FeOOH eventually dissociates into FeO and releases HO when subducted slabs are heated at the base of the mantle. This process may cause the incorporation of hydrogen into the outer core by the formation of iron hydride, FeH, in the reducing environment of the core-mantle boundary.

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Construction of an active composite with multicolor visible and broadband near-infrared luminescence is of great technological importance for various applications, including three-dimensional (3D) display, broadband telecommunication, and tunable lasers. The major challenge is the effective management of energy transfer between different dopants in composite. Here we present an in situ strategy for controlling energy transfer between multiple active centers via simultaneous tailoring of the evolution of phases and the distribution of dopants in the glassy phase. We show that the orderly precipitation of Ga(2)O(3) and LaF(3) nanocrystals and the selective incorporation of Ni(2+) and Er(3+) into them can be achieved. The obtained composite shows unique multicolor visible and broadband near-infrared emission. Possible mechanisms for the selective doping phenomenon are proposed, based on thorough structural and optical characterizations and crystal-field calculation results. Moreover, the strategy can be successfully extended to accomplish space-selective control of multicolor luminescence by employing the modulated stimulation field. The results suggest that the strategy could be applied to fabricate a multifunctional light source with a broad range of important host/activator combinations and to construct various types of three-dimensional active microstructures.

Phase relations in the system MgSiO3‐Al2O3 were investigated at pressures of 27–45 GPa and temperatures of 1700, 2000, and 2300 K using sintered diamond and tungsten carbide anvils in a multianvil apparatus. The bulk compositions in the MgSiO3‐Al2O3 binary system crystallize a phase assemblage of pyrope and corundum at pressures below 27 GPa and an assemblage of bridgmanite and corundum at pressures above 27 GPa regardless of temperatures. The solubility of Al2O3 in bridgmanite and that of MgSiO3 in corundum increases significantly with increasing temperature. The solubility of Al2O3 in bridgmanite increases from 6.7 mol % at 1700 K to 21.8 mol % at 2500 K under a constant pressure of 27 GPa. Bridgmanite becomes more aluminous with increasing pressure from 27 to 45 GPa at a given temperature. The MgSiO3 content in corundum increases with increasing pressure at pressure lower than 27 GPa, while it decreases at pressure higher than 27 GPa. Our results suggest that bridgmanite can incorporate a considerably higher Al2O3 content than that of the pyrope composition (25 mol % Al2O3). The present study further suggests that the entire Al2O3 component is accommodated into bridgmanite in the pyrolite lower mantle. However, Al2O3 cannot be fully accommodated into bridgmanite in the coldest parts of subducted slabs in the shallow part of the lower mantle, and therefore, additional phases such as MgAl2O4 with calcium ferrite‐type structure are necessary to host the excess Al2O3.

For the first time nanocarbon composites with C70 molecules aligned on the sidewall of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are demonstrated. The C70–SWNT photoelectrochemical devices exhibit efficient photocurrent generation properties that result from selective formation of a single composite film consisting of a SWNT network covered with C70 molecules and high electron mobility through the C70–SWNT network.

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Periclase (MgO) is the second most abundant mineral after bridgmanite in the Earth's lower mantle, and its melting behaviour under pressure is important to constrain rheological properties and melting behaviours of the lower mantle materials. Significant discrepancies exist between the melting temperatures of MgO determined by laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) and those based on dynamic compressions and theoretical predictions. Here we show the melting temperatures in earlier LHDAC experiments are underestimated due to misjudgment of melting, based on micro-texture observations of the quenched samples. The high melting temperatures of MgO suggest that the subducted cold slabs should have higher viscosities than previously thought, suggesting that the inter-connecting textural feature of MgO would not play important roles for the slab stagnation in the lower mantle. The present results also predict that the ultra-deep magmas produced in the lower mantle are peridotitic, which are stabilized near the core–mantle boundary.