Heat Capacity of γ-Fe2SiO4 and Thermodynamic Calculation of Fayalite - γ-Fe2SiO4 Phase Transition Boundary

The low-temperature heat capacity (Cp) of γ-Fe2SiO4 was measured between 5 and 303 K using the heat capacity option of a physical properties measurement system (PPMS). Fayalite powder was used as the starting material to synthesize the γ-Fe2SiO4 at 8.5 GPa and 1273 K by a 1,000-ton Walker-type multi-anvil device at the university of Minnesota. The heat capacity data were measured at more than 100 different temperatures with both logarithmic spacing and linear spacing. The measured heat capacity data show a broad lambda-transition at 11.8 K, probably related to a paramagnetic-antiferromagnetic transition just like the 65 K transition in fayalite. The difference in the Cp between fayalite and γ-Fe2SiO4 is reduced as the temperature increases in the range of 50-300 K. The Cp and entropy of γ- Fe2SiO4 at standard temperature and pressure (S°298) are 131.1±0.6 J mol-1K-1 and 140.2±0.4 J mol-1K-1, respectively. The Gibbs free energy at standard pressure and temperature (G°f,298) is calculated to be 1,369.3±2.7 J mol-1 based on the new entropy data. Based on current thermodynamic data, the calculated phase boundary for the fayalite - γ- Fe2SiO4 transition at high temperatures and pressures is consistent with the results of previous experimental studies.