Phase stability and stoichiometric diversity in the Mg-Si system under high pressure
Phys. Rev. B 113, 184101 – Published 4 May, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/l74t-x4kc
Abstract
While the Mg-Si system features only one thermodynamically stable compound, , at ambient pressure, multiple new phases emerge under compression up to ∼100 GPa. Intriguingly, above 500 GPa, reemerges as the sole stable compound. In this work, we combine adaptive genetic algorithm crystal-structure prediction with machine learning interatomic potentials to systematically explore high-pressure stability of Mg-Si system at 200, 300, and 400 GPa. By constructing a pressure–composition phase diagram spanning 100 to 500 GPa, we identify several pressure-stabilized phases, and , which exhibit unexpected stoichiometries and structural motifs. Through analysis of electronic structure, we demonstrate that the localization of electrons and their bonding character play a crucial role in the phase stability and structural evolution under high pressure. These findings suggest that Mg-Si compounds with diverse compositions could form in oxygen-deficient planetary interiors, and provide an extended structural database for exploring multicomponent systems containing Mg and Si under extreme conditions.