The complex and unusual high-pressure phase transition of III-A (i.e. Al, Ga, and In) metals have been investigated in the last several decades because of their interesting periodic table position between the elements having metallic and covalent bonding. Our present first principles-based electronic structure calculations and experimental investigation have revealed the unusual distortion in face-centered cubic (f.c.c.) phase of the heavy element thallium (Tl) induced by the high pressure. We have predicted body-centered tetragonal (b.c.t) phase at 83 GPa using an evolutionary algorithm coupled with ab initio calculations, and this prediction has been confirmed with a slightly distorted parameter ([Formula: see text] × a - c)/c lowered by 1% using an angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction technique. The density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations suggest that s-p mixing states and the valence-core overlapping of 6s and 5d states play the most important roles for the phase transitions along the pathway h.c.p[Formula: see text]f.c.c.[Formula: see text]b.c.t.
Keywords: distorted face-centered cubic; first principle study; high pressure; phase transition; thallium.