Zirconium tungstate, ZrW2O8, occupies an especial place among the compounds whose physical properties has been attracted the attention of the scientific community. The main reason for that is that this compound exhibits isotropic negative thermal expansion over a large temperature range. Materials with negative thermal expansion in one or two dimensions are well known. However, zirconium tungstate is a rare example of compound that exhibits negative thermal expansion isotropically, in three dimensions. This property is intimately related to the intrinsic flexibility of the ZrW2O8 crystal structure. The experimental evidences for pressure-induced amorphization of zirconium tungstate will be reviewed in this paper. The relationship between negative thermal expansion and pressure-induced amorphization of ZrW2O8 will be discussed, as well as some applications of this interesting ceramic material.
ZrW2O8; amorphization; high pressure
