High-pressure powder X-ray diffraction at the turn of the century

Abstract

Studies at extreme pressures and temperatures are helpful for understanding the physical properties of the solid state, including such classes of materials as semiconductors, superconductors or minerals. This is connected with the opportunity of tuning the pressure by many orders of magnitude. Diamond-anvil and large-anvil pressure cells installed at dedicated synchrotron beamlines are efficient tools for examination of crystal structure, equation of state, compressibility and phase transitions. One of basic methods in such studies is powder diffraction. This review is devoted to methods of powder X-ray diffraction at high-pressures generated by devices installed at synchrotron radiation sources, in particular to the principles of operation of high-pressure–high-temperature cells. General information on high-pressure diffraction facilities installed at 11 synchrotron storage rings in the world is provided. Measurement aspects are considered, including (i) pressure generation and calibration, (ii) strain in the sample, the pressure marker and the pressure-transmitting medium and (iii) pressure and temperature distributions within the cells. Sources of interest in high-pressure diffraction studies (design of new materials, observation of new phenomena, confrontation of theory with experiment) are briefly discussed. Recent developments of high-pressure methods make that pressure becomes a variable playing a key role in investigation of condensed matter. The paper ends with some remarks on the possible future developments of the technique.