Simple metals at high pressures: the Fermi sphere–Brillouin zone interaction model

High-pressure structural transformations are analyzed for simple sp-elements and some binary alloys. The crystal structure stability of these metals depends on the Fermi surface–Brillouin zone interaction. An increase in this interaction with pressure results in transitions to less symmetric and less closely packed structures. A structural similarity is shown to exist between the high-pressure phases for alkali and alkali-earth metals and for polyvalent group IV and V elements. The correlation between the behavior under compression of the structure and the physical properties (resistivity and superconductivity) of these metals is discussed in terms of the Fermi sphere–Brillouin zone interaction model.