Permanent densification of silica glass for pressure calibration between 9 and 20 GPa at ambient temperature

Permanent density increase of silica glass was used to calibrate pressure generation delivered by cupped sintered diamond anvils (‘dimple anvils’) [Haberl B, Molaison JJ, Neuefeind JC, et al. Simple modified Bridgman anvil design for high pressure synthesis and neutron scattering. High Press. Res. submitted] within the Paris-Edinburgh press between approximately 9 and 20?GPa. Raman spectral changes of recovered silica glass with increased density were used to determine the maximum pressure reached by following an established calibration curve [Deschamps T, Kassir-Bodon A, Sonneville C, et al. Permanent densification of compressed silica glass: a Raman-density calibration curve. J. Phys. Condens. Matter. 2013;25:025402]. The monotonic Raman shift of the Main Band spectral region (～200–700?cm^?1) of silica glass recovered from 9 to 20?GPa allows for continuous pressure calibration and is applicable to all presses that operate within this pressure range. Radial & axial Raman profiles were conducted to determine the pressure distribution within the sample chamber. This technique has been verified by in situ resistance measurements of the insulator-to-metal phase transition of ZnS near 15?GPa.     

High pressure neutron diffraction to beyond 20 GPa and below 1.8 K using Paris-Edinburgh load frames

We describe a method for collecting neutron diffraction patterns simultaneously at high pressure (>22?GPa) and low temperature (<1.8?K). The system uses ～5–10?mm³ samples compressed by double-toroidal sintered diamond anvils, with the required forces generated by a Paris-Edinburgh press of 30?kg mass. Technical details are given and diffraction data of ε-iron at 22.6?GPa and 1.79?K are presented.     

Developments of nano-polycrystalline diamond anvil cells for neutron diffraction experiments

ABSTRACT

A new high pressure cell for neutron diffraction experiments using nano-polycrystalline anvils is presented. The cell design, off-line pressure generation tests and a gas-loading procedure for this cell are described. The performance is illustrated by powder neutron diffraction patterns of ice VII to ～82?GPa. We also demonstrate the feasibility of single crystal neutron diffraction experiments of Fe₃O₄ at ambient conditions using this cell and discuss the current limitation and future developments.     

Powder neutron diffraction of wüstite (Fe0.93O) to 12 GPa using large moissanite anvils

High-pressure powder neutron diffraction of wüstite-Fe_0.93O has been achieved to 12 GPa using a large gem-moissanite (SiC) anvil cell. The moissanite anvils are weakly absorbing and provide greater neutron fluxes to the sample than is possible with tungsten carbide anvils. There is minimal diffraction overlap from the single-crystal moissanite anvils compared to tungsten carbide or synthetic diamond anvils, providing cleaner background profiles. The required sample volume for high-pressure neutron diffraction is dramatically reduced to several cubic millimeters. High-quality powder diffraction patterns of wüstite were recorded at 90 min exposure times on the HIPPO diffractometer at LANSCE when the sample volume was in the range of ～10 mm³. This is about two orders of magnitude smaller than the necessary sample volume (～1.0 cm³) for the same kind of experiment with other high-pressure cells and nominal neutron fluxes.     

Pressure generation to 50 GPa in Kawai-type multianvil apparatus using newly developed tungsten carbide anvils

A pressure generation test for Kawai-type multianvil apparatus (KMA) has been made using second-stage anvils of a newly developed ultra-hard tungsten carbide composite. Superb performance of the new anvil with significantly less plastic deformation was confirmed as compared to those commonly used for the KMA experiments. A maximum pressure of ～48?GPa was achieved using the new anvils with a truncation edge length (TEL) of 1.5?mm, based on in situ X-ray diffraction measurements. Further optimization of materials and sizes of the pressure medium/gasket should lead to pressures even higher than 50?GPa in KMA using this novel tungsten carbide composite, which may also be used for expansion of the pressure ranges in other types of high pressure apparatus operated in large volume press.     

A portable high-pressure stress cell based on the V7 Paris–Edinburgh apparatus

We describe a new device, based on a V7 Paris–Edinburgh press, for torsional testing of material at pressures up to 7 GPa (extendable to 15 GPa). Samples are deformed using a simple shear geometry between opposed anvils by rotating the lower anvil, via a rotational actuator, with respect to an upper, stationary, anvil. Use of conical anvil profiles greatly increases sample dimensions more than other high-pressure torsional apparatus did. Samples of polycrystalline Zr (2 mm thick, 3.5 mm diameter) have been sheared at strains exceeding γ ～1.5 at constant strain rate and at pressures from 1.8 to 5 GPa, and textural development has been studied by electron microscopy. Use of amorphous-boron-epoxy gaskets means that nearly simple shear of samples can be routinely achieved. This apparatus allows study of the plastic and anelastic behaviour of materials under high pressure, and is particularly suited for performing in situ investigations using synchrotron or neutron radiation.     

White-beam X-ray diffraction and radiography studies on high-boron-containing borosilicate glass at high pressures

ABSTRACT

Multi-angle energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction studies and white-beam X-ray radiography were conducted with a cylindrically shaped (1?mm diameter and 0.7?mm high) high-boron-content borosilicate glass sample (17.6% B₂O₃) to a pressure of 13.7?GPa using a Paris-Edinburgh (PE) press at Beamline 16-BM-B, HPCAT of the Advanced Photon Source. The measured structure factor S(q) to large q?=?19 Å^?1 is used to determine information about the internuclear bond distances between various species of atoms within the glass sample. Sample pressure was determined with gold as a pressure standard. The sample height as measured by radiography showed an overall uniaxial compression of 22.5% at 13.7?GPa with 10.6% permanent compaction after decompression to ambient conditions. The reduced pair distribution function G(r) was extracted and Si–O, O–O and Si–Si bond distances were measured as a function of pressure. Raman spectroscopy of the pressure recovered sample as compared to starting material showed blue-shift and changes in intensity and widths of Raman bands associated with silicate and four-coordinated boron.     

A new type of compact large-capacity press for neutron and x-ray scattering

We present a new type of compact hydraulic press of 200?t capacity and 60?kg mass provided with two large openings of 140° (equatorial) x 60° (azimuthal) around the sample area. This device has been designed and optimized using finite element calculations, and was built and recently successfully tested. A smaller version with 50 tonnes capacity and 8?kg mass is also available. This ‘VX’ type Paris–Edinburgh press is expected to have numerous applications in neutron and X-ray scattering whenever large sample volumes (typically 1–100?mm³) are required, in particular for angle-dispersive powder neutron diffraction on reactor sources, single crystal neutron diffraction, and inelastic neutron and X-ray scattering.     

Development of a technique for high pressure neutron diffraction at 40 GPa with a Paris-Edinburgh press

ABSTRACT

We have developed a technique for neutron diffraction experiments at pressures up to 40?GPa using a Paris-Edinburgh press at the PLANET beamline in J-PARC. To increase the maximum accessible pressure, the diameter of the dimple for sample chamber at the top of the sintered diamond anvils is sequentially reduced from 4.0?mm to 1.0?mm. As a result, the maximum pressure increased and finally reached 40?GPa. By combining this technique with the beam optics which defines the gauge volume, diffraction patterns sufficient for full-structure refinements are obtainable at such pressures.     

Opposed type double stage cell for Mbar pressure experiment with large sample volume

ABSTRACT

A new opposed type double-stage large volume cell has been developed to compress large volume samples to more than 100?GPa (Mbar) pressure. A pair of second-stage diamond anvils is introduced into the first-stage Paris–Edinburgh press. The double-stage large volume cell allows the generation of ultrahigh pressures using a large culet diameter of the second-stage diamond anvils (diameters of 0.5–1.2?mm). Pressure generation up to 131?GPa has been achieved by using the culet diameter of 0.5?mm. Sample volume of the double-stage large volume cell can be more than ～100 times larger than that of conventional Mbar experiment using a diamond anvil cell. The double-stage large volume cell has a large opening in the horizontal plane for X-ray measurements, which is particularly suited for the multi-angle energy dispersive X-ray diffraction measurement, thus opening a new way of in situ structural determinations of amorphous materials at Mbar pressures.     

Ceramic high pressure cell with profiled anvils for neutron diffraction investigations (up to 7 GPa)

Abstract

A high pressure cell with profiled anvils for neutron diffraction investigations has been designed and tested. The matrices of the cell are made of alloyed aluminium oxide ceramic. The reliable working pressure range of the cell is up to 7 GPa at a sample volume of 64 mm³. The cell attenuates the neutron flux not more than four times, with the transmission of the cell very slightly depending on neutron wavelength.     

Pulsed neutron powder diffraction at high pressure by a capacity-increased sapphire anvil cell

A new design of opposed anvil cell for time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction was prepared for use at advanced pulsed sources. A couple of single-crystal sapphire sphere anvils and a gasket of fully hardened Ti–Zr null alloy were combined to compress 35 mm³ of sample volume to 1 GPa and 11 mm³ to 2 GPa of pressures, respectively. A very high-quality powder diffraction pattern was obtained at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex for a controversial high pressure phase of methane hydrate. The counting statistics, resolution, absolute accuracy and d-value range of the pattern were all improved to be best suitable for precise structure refinement. The sample is optically accessible to be measured by Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy during and after compression. The current cell will be an alternative choice to study hydrogenous materials of complex structures that are stable at the described pressure regime.     

Pressure measurement using the R fluorescence peaks and 417 cm−1 Raman peak of an anvil in a sapphire-anvil cell

In this study, synthetic sapphire crystals were used as anvils, coupled with a metal gasket, in a Merrill–Bassett-type pressure cell (sapphire-anvil cell (SAC)). Quartz and ruby chips were compressed in the cell and used as pressure calibrators for the SAC. In the sample–anvil interface, the relationship of the frequency shifts of the R1, R2 and 417 cm^?1 peaks with pressure was studied. They were constructed as new pressure calibrators. To test the applicability of the newly calibrated SAC, the Raman spectra of dolomite and calcite were measured in situ at room temperature.     

Development of a high pressure stirring cell up to 2 GPa: a new window for chemical reactions and material synthesis

ABSTRACT

A new method for stirring under high pressure conditions has been developed and tested. The key component is a Teflon cell assembly equipped with magnetic stirring function, which is capable to operate across a wide pressure range, up to at least 2?GPa, in a large volume press. The setup enables adjustable stirrer rotation rate and detection of stirring in a sample, e.g. to observe liquid–solid phase transitions at high pressure. The viscosity limit of stirring is ca. 500 times that of water at room temperature (i.e. ～500?mPas). Moreover, we show that zinc oxide nanoparticles hydrothermally synthesized at 0.5?GPa and 100°C under stirring conditions show an order of magnitude smaller size (100?nm) compared to those synthesized under non-stirring conditions (1?μm). The wide pressure range for stirring of viscous media opens interesting possibilities to produce novel materials via hydrothermal synthesis and chemical reactions.     

Static compression of rare earth metal holmium to 282 GPa

ABSTRACT

The phase transitions and equation of state measurements were carried out on rare earth metal Holmium (Ho) to 282?GPa using toroidal diamond anvils thereby doubling the pressure range to which it has been studied previously. The first set of experiment employed standard beveled diamond anvils utilizing copper as an x-ray pressure standard to 217?GPa. The second set of experiment employed toroidal diamond anvils utilizing platinum as an x-ray pressure standard to 282?GPa. The recently proposed 16-atom orthorhombic structure (oF16) appeared to be stable between 103 and 282?GPa. The scaled axial ratio (c/a) shows a narrow range of variation of 1.58?±?0.05 for the five known crystalline phases of Ho to 282?GPa. The experimental equation of state of Ho is presented up to a threefold volume compression V/V_o?=?0.322.     

Hybrid-toroidal anvil: a replacement for the conventional WC anvil used for the large volume cubic high pressure apparatus

We propose a design and operation of a hybrid-toroidal anvil used for the large volume cubic high pressure apparatus (LV-CHPA), such that it is possible to obtain a higher sintered quality, less weight and cost of tungsten carbide (WC) anvil than the conventional anvil. We use the finite element simulations to show the distributions of the stress on the surface and in the bulk of the WC anvils, and conclude that, for a given load on the hybrid-toroidal anvil, the volume of the compressed press medium has increased by 4.88%, and the rate of the transmitted pressure has increased by 6.72% compared with the conventional anvil. Furthermore, the advantages of the hybrid-toroidal anvil are that the movement of anvils increases by 37.14% and the growth rate of the fatigue crack decreases by 40%. This has been proved by the high pressure experiments. This work gives an approach to optimize the WC anvils used for the LV-CHPA and presents a simple method to achieve the higher sample pressure and the larger sample volume.     

Pressure distribution in solid samples compressed by toroidal anvils

We report the measurements of the three-dimensional pressure distribution in a sample of NaCl compressed to 6 GPa by apposed anvils with toroidal geometry. The results were obtained by energy-dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction using a V4-Paris-Edinburgh (PE) press with sintered diamond anvils and the incident beam directed along the thrust axis. This particular scattering geometry may be useful for other types of diffraction experiments using the PE press at synchrotron sources.     

Optimization of Paris–Edinburgh press cell assemblies for in situ monochromatic X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption

We describe some important improvements allowed by the development of new cell assemblies coupled to opposed conical sintered diamond anvils in the Paris–Edinburgh press. We provide X-ray absorption and diffraction experiments carried out at pressures up to 16.5 GPa. The maximum temperature reached was 1800 K for P<10 GPa and 1300 K for higher pressures. The sintered diamond anvils are X-ray transparent and give access to a much larger X-ray window than the tungsten carbide anvils, even at the highest pressure. Therefore, X-ray measurements are performed using in situ cross-calibration simultaneously. We also describe a new heating setup used to reach high temperatures, despite the low conductivity of the sintered diamond core by deviating the electrical current using copper strips. These improvements are illustrated by recent data collected using angle dispersive in situ X-ray diffraction on liquid Fe-18%wt S and using EXAFS at the barium K-edge on Ba₈Si₄₆ silicon clathrates and at the iodine K-edge on iodine-intercalated nanotubes.     

An opposed-anvil-type apparatus with an optical window and a wide-angle aperture for neutron diffraction

We designed new anvil assemblies for acquiring high-quality neutron diffraction data and ruby fluorescence spectra inside a sample chamber. The conical aperture of Ni-binded WC anvils was expanded by a factor of two. A hybrid gasket made of TiZr- and Al-alloy was developed to prevent outward extrusion. A small and optically transparent window of moissanite was introduced to allow for the determination of pressure and hydrostaticity by measurement of ruby fluorescence spectra. High pressure-generation tests that make use of Bi electrical conductivity and ruby pressure markers revealed that pressure could be determined over 10 GPa. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments were also carried out using NaCl as the pressure calibrants. The maximum pressure achieved was approximately 13 GPa. The neutron diffraction intensity from the newly generated anvil assemblies was 2.5–3.0 times greater than that using the standard toroidal anvil assemblies used previously.     

复合型多晶金刚石末级压砧的制备并标定六面顶压机6-8型压腔压力至35GPa

通过分析二级6-8型大腔体静高压装置八面体压腔的受力状况, 研制了一种使用成本低、尺寸大且易于加工的多晶金刚石-硬质合金复合二级(末级)顶锤(压砧). 采用原位电阻测量观测Zr在高压下相变(α-ω, 7.96 GPa; ω-β, 34.5 GPa)的方法, 标定了由多晶金刚石-硬质合金复合末级压砧构建的5.5/1.5(传压介质边长/二级顶锤锤面边长, 单位: mm)组装的腔体压力. 实验表明, 自行研制的多晶金刚石-硬质合金复合末级压砧可使基于国产六面顶压机构架的二级加压系统的压力产生上限从约20 GPa提高到35 GPa以上, 拓展了国内大腔体静高压技术的压力产生范围. 应用这一技术, 我们期望经过末级压砧材料与压腔设计的进一步优化, 在基于国产六面顶压机的二级6-8 型大腔体静高压装置压腔中产生超过50 GPa的高压. 关键词： 二级6-8型大腔体静高压装置 多晶金刚石-硬质合金复合末级压砧 压力标定