The high-temperature phase transition between the tetragonal (scheelite) and monoclinic (fergusonite) forms of yttrium tantalite (${\mathrm{YTaO}}_4$ ) has been studied using a combination of first-principles calculations and a Landau free-energy expansion. Calculations of the Gibbs free energies show that the monoclinic phase is stable at room temperature and transforms to the tetragonal phase at 1430 °C, close to the experimental value of $1426\pm 7$ °C. Analysis of the phonon modes as a function of temperature indicate that the transformation is driven by softening of transverse acoustic modes with symmetry $E_u$ in the Brillouin zone center rather than the Raman-active $B_g$ mode. Landau free-energy expansions demonstrate that the transition is second order and, based on the fitting to experimental and calculated lattice parameters, it is found that the transition is a proper rather than a pseudoproper type. Together these findings are consistent with the transition being ferroelastic.

• Received 23 April 2014
• Revised 18 August 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.094102