Predicted novel metallic metastable phases of polymeric nitrogen at high pressures

Two new metallic polymeric structures of nitrogen, Pnnm and Cccm, are found by means of the first-principles density functional theory and a random structure-searching method. Firstly, it is shown that the transition behavior of nitrogen from insulator to metal starts at a pressure of approximately 460 GPa at 0 K. The Pnnm phase becomes energetically favorable with respect to cubic gauche at 363 GPa, and then transforms to the Cccm structure at...