Silicon incorporation in TiO 2 phases at increasing pressures until 20 GPa at 1300 °C has been studied by XRD and TEM. Rutile is the stable Si-doped TiO 2 phase until at least 7 GPa, transforming into α-PbO 2 structured TiO2 between 7 and 10 GPa. The further transformation to the TiO 2 polymorph with the baddeleyite structure, akaogiite, has not been observed on the quenched samples. XRD and TEM-EDX data suggest that the Si-doped TiO 2 akaogiite polymorph is non-quenchable and reverts to a-PbO2 structured TiO 2 when releasing the pressure. This transformation gives rise to α-PbO 2 structured TiO 2 grains decorated with p fringes stacking faults. Silicon solubility in TiO 2 phases increases with increasing the synthesis pressure until 16 GPa, implying the substitutional solid solution to be the mechanism of solubility. The influence of the dopants on the stability of the rutile and the α-PbO2 structured TiO 2 has also been analyzed.
