Measurements Of Physical Properties Research Articles

Novel ternary nanocomposite (TiO2@Fe3O4-chitosan) system for nitrate removal from water: an adsorption cum photocatalytic approach.

Nitrate pollution of water emerging from various anthropogenic activities has become a major environmental concern because of its deleterious effects on natural water resources. The present work deals with the synthesis of the ternary nanocomposite based on chitosan, iron oxide (Fe3O4), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) and its application for the removal of nitrates from model-contaminated water. Fe3O4 derived through a coprecipitation method was incorporated into the chitosan matrix which was fabricated in the form of beads. The wet gel beads were then successfully coated with sol-gel-derived silver-doped titanium dioxide sol followed by drying under suitable conditions to get the functional nanocomposite beads. The synthesized functional materials were further characterized for their structural, morphological, and textural features using X-ray diffraction analysis, physical property measurement (PPMS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, UV visible spectroscopy analysis (UV-vis), BET surface area analysis (BET), field emission scanning electron microscopic (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. The ternary nanocomposites were further used for the removal of nitrates via adsorption cum photocatalytic reduction technique from the model contaminated water when subjected to an adsorption study under dark conditions and photocatalytic study under UV/visible/sunlight for a definite time. Fe3O4 in the nanocomposite provides enhanced adsorption features whereas the functional coating of titanium dioxide aids in the removal of nitrates through the photocatalytic reduction technique. The functional beads containing 3% Fe3O4 in the wet gel form (CTA-F3) have excellent nitrate removal efficiency of ~ 97% via adsorption cum solar photocatalysis towards the removal of nitrate ions from 50ppm nitrate solution, whereas the dried nanocomposite beads have got a nitrate removal efficiency of ~ 68% in 1h from 100ppm nitrate solution. Continuous flow adsorption cum photocatalytic study was performed further using the oven-dried functional beads in which flow rate and bed height were varied while maintaining the concentration of feed solution as constant. A nitrate removal efficiency of 65% and an adsorption capacity of 4.1 mgg-1 were obtained for the CTA-F3 beads in the continuous flow adsorption cum photocatalysis experiment for up to 5h when using an inlet concentration of 100ppm, bed height 12cm, and flow rate 5.0mlmin-1. A representative fixed-bed column adsorption experiment conducted using CTA-F3 beads for the treatment of a real groundwater sample shows reasonable results for nitrate removal (71.7% efficiency) along with a significant removal rate for the other anions as well. Thus, the novel adsorbent/photocatalyst developed is suitable for the removal of nitrates from water due to the synergistic effect between Fe3O4, chitosan, and titanium dioxide.

Magnetometry in a diamond anvil cell using nitrogen vacancy centers in a nanodiamond ensemble.

The emerging field of optical magnetometry utilizing negative-charged nitrogen vacancy (NV-) centers provides a highly sensitive lab bench technique for spatially resolved physical property measurements. Their implementation in high pressure diamond anvil cell (DAC) environments will become common as other techniques are often limited due to the spatial constraints of the sample chamber. Apparatus and techniques are described here permitting for more general use of magnetic field measurements inside a DAC using continuous wave optical detected magnetic resonance in NV- centers in a layer of nanodiamonds. A microstrip antenna delivers a uniform microwave field to the DAC and is compatible with simple metal gaskets, and the sensor layer of deposited nanodiamonds allows for simple determination of the magnetic field magnitude for B in the 1-100G range. The ferromagnetic transition in iron at 18GPa is measured with the apparatus, along with its hysteretic response.

Gravity and magnetic joint imaging based on Gramian constraints

Gravity and magnetic imaging produce numerical images proportional to the density and magnetization source distribution through the upward continuation of potential field data. However, the inherent ambiguity and nonuniqueness in gravity or magnetic imaging restrict the reliability of the imaging model. We develop a joint iterative imaging framework for gravity and magnetic data based on Gramian constraints. The imaging fields of gravity and magnetic fields are initially calculated by the depth from extreme points imaging method. With the recovered magnetization and density distribution, the gradient directions of the Gramian function for these model parameters are calculated and used to regularize the joint imaging directions for gravity and magnetic fields. The introduction of Gramian constraints achieves mutual complementarity of the gravity and magnetic data and generates density and magnetization models with more distinct boundaries and improved structural coherence. Our approach is tested with two synthetic examples and applied to field data from the Galinge iron deposit in Qinghai, China. The real case results are verified by information from drillholes and physical properties measurements of ore and rock samples. Joint imaging provides an alternative to joint inversion with improved resolution and reliability of imaging models compared with separate imaging through the complementarity of gravity and magnetic data.

Crystal Growth of Quaternary AkRE2Si2S8 (Ak = Ca and Sr; RE = La-Tb) Thiosilicates Using Flux-Assisted Boron Chalcogen Mixture Method: Exploring X-ray Scintillation, Luminescence, and Magnetic Properties.

We report on the detailed structural analysis of a series of 11 new quaternary rare earths containing thiosilicates, AkRE2Si2S8 (Ak = Ca and Sr; RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb), synthesized using the flux-assisted boron chalcogen mixture method. High quality crystals were grown and used to determine their crystal structures by single crystal X-ray diffraction. All members of the AkRE2Si2S8 series crystallize in the trigonal crystal system with space group R3̅c (space group no. 167). Polycrystalline powders were used for physical property measurements, including magnetic susceptibility, diffuse reflectance in the UV-visible range, and scintillation. Magnetic measurements indicated that CaRE2Si2S8 (RE = Nd and Tb) exhibits paramagnetic behavior with a slightly negative Weiss constant. The band gaps of the materials were determined from diffuse reflectance data, and optical band gaps were estimated to be 2.5(1) and 2.9(1) eV for CaCe2Si2S8 and CaGd2Si2S8, respectively. CaCe2Si2S8, CaTb2Si2S8, and SrCe2Si2S8 exhibited intense green luminescence upon irradiation with 375 nm ultraviolet light and, furthermore, scintillated when exposed to X-rays. Radioluminescence measurements of CaCe2Si2S8 powder revealed green emission with an intensity approximately 14% of that emitted by bismuth germanium oxide powder.

Laser induced ultrafast Gd 4f spin dynamics at the surface of amorphous CoxGd100-x ferrimagnetic alloys

We have investigated the laser induced ultrafast dynamics of Gd 4f spins at the surface of CoxGd100-x alloys by means of surface-sensitive and time-resolved dichroic resonant Auger spectroscopy. We have observed that the laser induced quenching of Gd 4f magnetic order at the surface of the CoxGd100-x alloys occur on a much longer time scale than that previously reported in “bulk sensitive” time-resolved experiments. In parallel, we have characterized the static structural and magnetic properties at the surface and in the bulk of these alloys by combining Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) magnetometry with X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism in absorption spectroscopy (XMCD) and X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The PPMS and XMCD measurements give information regarding the composition in the bulk of the alloys. The XPS measurements show non-homogeneous composition at the surface of the alloys with a strongly increased Gd content within the first layers compared to the nominal bulk values. Such larger Gd concentration results in a reduced indirect Gd 4f spin-lattice coupling. It explains the “slower” Gd 4f demagnetization we have observed in our surface-sensitive and time-resolved measurements compared to that previously reported by “bulk-sensitive” measurements.

A comprehensive experimental and DFT analysis on thermoelectric properties of Sb, Te co-doped Bi2Se3 polycrystals

As tellurides and selenides of Bismuth are extensively used thermoelectric materials in the low-temperature range with refrigeration application, A concerted effort is put forth to boost the ZT by co-doping the pristine Bi2Se3 with antimony (Sb) on cation end and tellurium (Te) on anion side of the compound. The double sintered solid-state reaction method is employed in the preparation of Bi2Se3 and (Bi1−xSbx)2Se2.7Te0.3 polycrystalline pellets, with x = 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06. The sample exhibits a rhombohedral structure with the space group of R 3¯\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\overline{3 }$$\\end{document} m. FESEM and EDAX analysis are used to confirm surface morphology and elemental composition of the produced samples. The thermoelectric measurements for the pristine and co-doped samples were conducted by the physical property measurement system as well as a considerable increase in the Seebeck coefficient of − 115 µV/K is observed for 0.02 doping of the Sb which is 4.2 times greater than as for pristine (S = − 28 µV/K). Higher concentration doping (x = 0.04, 0.06) has not reflected any Seebeck coefficient advancement. In contrast, the lowest total thermal conductivity at a low-temperature regime (< 50 K) is observed for x = 0.06 doping concentration which at near room temperature increases beyond the pristine thermal conductivity; whereas, x = 0.02, 0.04 doping concentration shows a decrement in total thermal conductivity at low, at room temperature region the values are almost equivalent to that of pristine. The co-doped samples’ electrical resistivity is substantially less than pristine sample. The highest power factor of 3 × 10–4 µW/mK2 is obtained for the x = 0.02 sample. The highest ZT value for the x = 0.02 sample is almost 28 times more than a pristine sample. We conducted a study where we combined experimental and DFT methods to investigate thermoelectric properties incorporated into pristine and doped with antimony and tellurium on Bi2Se3. We have employed this combination to investigate the partial density of states, Seebeck coefficient, power factor using the Boltzmann transport equation. Theoretical thermoelectric data were derived and compared to experimental observations. Hence, using combined experimental and theoretical investigations helps to predict with higher accuracy of thermoelectric properties of semiconducting materials.

Cryogenic platform to investigate strong microwave cavity-spin coupling in correlated magnetic materials

We present a comprehensive exploration of loop-gap resonators for electron spin resonance (ESR) studies, enabling investigations into the hybridization of solid-state magnetic materials with microwave polariton modes. The experimental setup, implemented in a Physical Property Measurement System by Quantum Design, allows for measurements of ESR spectra at temperatures as low as 2 Kelvin. The versatility of continuous wave ESR spectroscopy is demonstrated through experiments on CuSO 4⋅5 H2O and MgCr2O4, showcasing the g-tensor and magnetic susceptibilities of these materials. The study delves into the challenges of fitting spectra under strong hybridization conditions and underscores the significance of proper calibration and stabilization. The detailed guide provided serves as a valuable resource for laboratories interested in exploring hybrid quantum systems through microwave resonators.

Br-Vacancies Induced Variable Ranging Hopping Conduction in High-Order Topological Insulator Bi4Br4.

The defects have a remarkable influence on the electronic structures and the electric transport behaviors of the matter, providing the additional means to engineering their physical properties. In this work, a comprehensive study on the effect of Br-vacancies on the electronic structures and transport behaviors in the high-order topological insulator Bi4Br4 is performed by the combined techniques of the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and physical properties measurement system along with the first-principle calculations. The STM results show the defects on the cleaved surface of a single crystal and reveal that the defects are correlated to the Br-vacancies with the support of the simulated STM images. The role of the Br-vacancies in the modulation of the band structures has been identified by ARPES spectra and the calculated energy-momentum dispersion. The relationship between the Br-vacancies and the semiconducting-like transport behaviors at low temperature has been established, implying a Mott variable ranging hopping conduction in Bi4Br4. The work not only resolves the unclear transport behaviors in this matter, but also paves a way to modulate the electric conduction path by the defects engineering.

Adaptive projected variational quantum dynamics

We propose an adaptive quantum algorithm to prepare accurate variational time evolved wave functions. The method is based on the projected variational quantum dynamics (pVQD) algorithm, that performs a global optimization with linear scaling in the number of variational parameters. Instead of fixing a variational ansatz at the beginning of the simulation, the circuit is grown systematically during the time evolution. Moreover, the adaptive step does not require auxiliary qubits and the gate search can be performed in parallel on different quantum devices. We apply the algorithm, named adaptive pVQD, to the simulation of driven spin models and fermionic systems, where it shows an advantage when compared to both Trotterized circuits and nonadaptive variational methods. Finally, we use the shallower circuits prepared using the adaptive pVQD algorithm to obtain more accurate measurements of physical properties of quantum systems on hardware. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Conversion Factors for Physical Property Measurements in different Rest Frames Using a Revised Version of Relativity Theory Based on the Uniform Scaling Method

The history of the development of the Uniform Scaling Method is reviewed. It has its beginning with the Law of Causality and Newton’s First Law of Kinetics (Law of Inertia). On this basis it can be concluded that the rates of clocks do not change spontaneously, i.e. without the application of some external force. Since the ratio Q of the rates of any two such (inertial) clocks must therefore itself be a constant, it follows that whenever they are used to measure a specific time difference between two events, their respective results must always be in the same ratio: Δt’=Δt/Q. This relationship is referred to as Newtonian Simultaneity since it guarantees that if one of the clocks finds that the events occurred simultaneously (Δt’=0), the other must do so as well (Δt=0). A useful way to interpret Q is as a conversion factor between the different units of time employed in the two rest frames. If we assume that the value of the speed of light is the same in both rest frames, it follows that they must agree on the unit of speed, i.e. the conversion factor in this case is unity (Q0 ). It therefore follows that the conversion factor for the unit of distance must be exactly the same as that for time, namely also Q. This claim of the Uniform Scaling Method is thus seen to be in direct contradiction to the length contraction tenet of Einstein’s theory of relativity introduced in 1905. Experiments with accelerated electrons carried out by Bucherer in 1909 indicate that their inertial mass increase in direct proportion to γ (v) = (1-v2 c-2)-0.5 (v is the speed of the electrons and c = 299792458 ms-1 is the speed of light in free space), the same ratio as observed for the periods of atomic lines by Ives and Stilwell in 1938. Consistency therefore requires that the conversion factor for inertial mass is the same (Q) as for time. Since inertial mass, time and distance are the three fundamental quantities on which all other physical properties are defined (mks system), it follows that the conversion factor for any other property must be an integral multiple of Q. An analogous set of definitions can also be justified for the corresponding conversion factors in the same two rest frames caused by gravitational effects. In this case the conversion factors are always integral multiples of the quantity S, which therefore plays as analogous role as Q in kinetic scaling. Since experiments with circumnavigating atomic clocks carried out in 1971 by Hafele and Keating found that the two types of effects are completely independent of one another, it is therefore useful to define a product Z of the corresponding Q and S factors for each physical property, including those that are used to define the results of electromagnetic measurements. These total conversion factors are stored in Tables 1 and 2 of the manuscript. They are shown to guarantee that if a physical law is valid in one of the rest frames, it will also hold in the other. This relationship allows for an Addendum to Galileo’s Relativity Principle: The laws of physics are the same in all inertial rest frames, but the units in which their results are expressed can differ from one rest frame to another.

Ionic Liquids for the Separation of Fluorocarbon Refrigerant Mixtures.

This review discusses the research being performed on ionic liquids for the separation of fluorocarbon refrigerant mixtures. Fluorocarbon refrigerants, invented in 1928 by Thomas Midgley Jr., are a unique class of working fluids that are used in a variety of applications including refrigeration. Fluorocarbon refrigerants can be categorized into four generations: chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, and hydrofluoroolefins. Each generation of refrigerants solved a key problem from the previous generation; however, each new generation has relied on more complex mixtures that are often zeotropic, near azeotropic, or azeotropic. The complexity of the refrigerants used and the fact that many refrigerants form azeotropes when mixed makes handling the refrigerants at end of life extremely difficult. Today, less than 3% of refrigerants that enter the market are recycled. This is due to a lack of technology in the refrigerant reclaim market that would allow for these complex, azeotropic refrigerant mixtures to be separated into their components in order to be effectively reused, recycled, and if needed repurposed. As the market for recovering and reclaiming refrigerants continues to grow, there is a strong need for separation technology. Ionic liquids show promise for separating azeotropic refrigerant mixtures as an entrainer in extractive distillation process. Ionic liquids have been investigated with refrigerants for this application since the early 2000s. This review will provide a comprehensive summary of the physical property measurements, equations of state modeling, molecular simulations, separation techniques, and unique materials unitizing ionic liquids for the development of an ionic-liquid-based separation process for azeotropic refrigerant mixtures.

Glass formation, crystallization behavior, nanoprecipitate phase, and magnetic properties of Mn-Fe-Si-B-EM (EM = Zr, Nb, V) alloys

In this paper, the as-quenched Mn55Fe15Si20B7EM3 (EM = Zr, Nb, V) amorphous ribbons were produced by the melt spinning technique. The crystallization behavior, nanoprecipitate phase evolution, and magnetic properties of the Mn-Fe-Si-B-EM (EM = Zr, Nb, V) amorphous alloys were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and the quantum design dynacool-9 physical property measurement system (PPMS). The Mn55Fe15Si20B7EM3 (EM = Zr, Nb, V) amorphous alloys show two-stage crystallization behavior. In the first stage, the primary crystallization results in the formation of α-Mn + Mn6Si/Mn3Si precipitates, while in the second stage, the secondary crystallization leads to the formation of the Mn2B phase. The Mn55Fe15Si20B7Zr3 (FZ) amorphous sample shows a most significant two-stage phase transformation, which the onset temperature of the primary and that of the secondary crystallization are 625.7 °C and 681.2 °C, respectively. The FZ amorphous sample undergoes a magnetic phase transformation from the spin glass (SG) state to a paramagnetic (PM) state at approximately 28 K. As the temperature increases, the magnetic phase transition can be expressed as: SG → PM. The annealed FZ nanocrystalline sample with α-Mn + Mn6Si nano phases enters the ferromagnetic (FM) state at 27∼70 K after undergoing spin glass transformation, and the magnetic phase transition is: SG → FM → PM. The annealed Mn55Fe15Si20B7V3 nanocrystalline sample containing nano α-Mn and Mn3Si phases shows two Curie transitions at 57 K and 130 K, respectively. The magnetic phase transition behavior can be expressed as: SG → FMΙ → FMΙΙ → PM.

A ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal vitrified at room temperature

ABSTRACT Most of the current highly polar rod-shaped molecules that form ferroelectric nematic (NF) phase do so only at elevated temperatures and multicomponent mixtures are generally needed to obtain a broad and room temperature range NF phase. In this work, we describe the synthesis, phase characterisation and measurement of various physical properties of a new ferroelectric nematic compound 4-[(4-nitrophenoxy)carbonyl]phenyl 2-isopropoxy-4-methoxybenzoate (RT11165). The molecular structure of RT11165 with a 2-isopropoxy group differs only by a substitution of the 2-methoxy group found in the prototype ferroelectric nematic material 4-[(4-nitrophenoxy)carbonyl]phenyl 2,4-dimethoxybenzoate (RM734). This small structure change produces a rather dramatic change in phase behaviour leading to an NF phase from 63°C down to room temperature. Below about 45°C the rotational viscosity of RT11165 increases critically and the temperature dependence indicates a glass transition at ~19°C. The transparent and polar glassy state of RT11165, which should be also piezoelectric, is a good candidate for energy storage, piezoecatalysis, data storage and other applications.

Low-temperature heat capacity and absolute entropy of yttrium(III) bromide (YBr3)

Abstract The heat capacity of yttrium(III) bromide (YBr3) in the temperature range from 2 K to 300 K has been determined using a Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS). From these data the absolute entropy of the compound at 298.15 K has been derived.

The study of core and particle model of Fushun oil shale based on microwave field

As an unconventional oil and gas resource, oil shale can alleviate the shortage of oil and gas resources. As a new heating process for oil shale retorting and in-situ mining, microwave can effectively exploit and utilize oil shale. In this paper, the Fushun oil shale and particle model under microwave field are studied by means of experiment and numerical simulation. Based on the measurement of the basic physical properties of oil shale, the effects of microwave power and absorbent (semi-coke and graphite) on the pyrolysis of oil shale were investigated. The experimental results show that the heating rate is the fastest when the maximum microwave power is 700 W without adding absorbent or adding the same absorbent. At the same power, the effect of graphite is slightly better than that of semi-coke. In the aspect of numerical simulation, COMSOL simulation software is used to simulate the oil shale core and particles based on the three-dimensional electromagnetic thermal model. The experimental conclusion is verified. At the same time, it is found in the simulation results that microwave heating has better temperature distribution gradient and electric field distribution. Furthermore, the microwave port is extended to the underground for the simulation of microwave in-situ mining. It is found that the reservoir temperature reaches 450 °C after 1000 days of reservoir heating.

Evaluation of a new artificial intelligence-based textile digitization using fabric drape

Three-dimensional (3D) textile-based garment prototyping, widely adopted in the apparel and textile industry, enhances cost efficiency, work productivity, and seamless communication via visual prototyping. Neural network-based 3D textile digitization has the potential to streamline manufacturing processes by negating the need for traditional physical property (PT) measurements. However, a research gap exists concerning the accuracy of the technology and its applicability to advanced functional apparel manufacturing. The primary research question is to investigate how variations in digitized physical properties obtained from PT measurements and artificial intelligence (AI)-based textile digitization impact the accuracy of a fabric’s mechanical representation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate AI-based textile digitization accuracy using a drape test method. The drape coefficient (DC) analysis revealed that the PT-based simulated DC exhibited a normalized mean absolute error (NMAE) ranging from 2% to 11%, while the AI-based simulated DC showed a range of 3–51%. Notably, for the samples, except those with very limp or very stiff fabric samples, the AI-based simulation exhibited a NMAE within 3–15%.

Low-cost Green Synthesis of Silica Engineering Nanomaterials from Rice Husk (Agriculture waste) and its Physical and Luminescent Properties Measurements

The electrical, electronics,and drug industries are heavily reliant on the use of Silica materials for several applications. Green source of production of silica materials is very important to meet the growing demandfor industrial purposes. The present work discusses the recent nanosilica production using low-costmethods, from rice husk-agricultural waste, andtheir structural, microstructural, and optical properties measurement for its applications.The crystallite size of silica particleswas measured using XRD is 26 nm and 55 nm, which are prepared from rice husk synthesized by both coprecipitation and leaching processes, respectively.. The SEM images of both the samples showed structural order of the pores within the mesoporous structure. The leached sample showed a purity of around 80%. The infrared spectral data also supports the presence of hydrogen-bonded silanol groups and the siloxane groups in the silica. These nanosilica particles showed Photoluminescence in UV, Visible, and NIR regions. The nanoscale silica formation is also confirmed by TEM and DLS measurements. Zeta Potential studies found -22.12 mV reveals the stability of prepared nano silica for a longer duration.

Design of Electrical Sheet Resistance of Thin Film Measurement System Based on GM Cryocooler in Cryogenic Temperature

The determination of the dependencies of the electrical resistivity of the thin film to temperature is of great importance both for understanding the conduction mechanism and for numerous technical applications of these films. In this work, to characterize, the electrical properties of thin films, a GM cryocooler-based automatic board temperature range electrical properties measurement system has been constructed. The system can measure multiple samples simultaneously. The cooling process was simulated using the time-discrete differencing to validate the optimized device design parameters and minimize heat losses. Furthermore, the temperature-dependent sheet resistance results were compared with the results from the physical property measurement system.

Investigation of Layered Structure Formation in MgB2 Wires Produced by the Internal Mg Coating Process under Low and High Isostatic Pressures.

Currently, MgB2 wires made by the powder-in-tube (PIT) method are most often used in the construction and design of superconducting devices. In this work, we investigated the impact of heat treatment under both low and high isostatic pressures on the formation of a layered structure in PIT MgB2 wires manufactured using the Mg coating method. The microstructure, chemical composition, and density of the obtained superconductive wires were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyzer and optical microscopy with Kameram CMOS software (version 2.11.5.6). Transport measurements of critical parameters were made by using the Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) for 100 mA and 19 Hz in a perpendicular magnetic field. We observed that the Mg coating method can significantly reduce the reactions of B with the Fe sheath. Moreover, the shape, uniformity, and continuity of the layered structure (cracks, gaps) depend on the homogeneity of the B layer before the synthesis reaction. Additionally, the formation of a layered structure depends on the annealing temperature (for Mg in the liquid or solid-state), isostatic pressure, type of boron, and density of layer B before the synthesis reaction.

Kawai-type multianvil ultrahigh-pressure technology.

Since the large-volume press with a double-stage multianvil system was created by the late Professor Naoto Kawai, this apparatus (Kawai-type multianvil apparatus or KMA) has been developed for higher-pressure generation, in situ X-ray and neutron observations, deformation experiments, measurements of physical properties, synthesis of high-pressure phases, etc., utilizing its large sample volume and capacity in stable and homogeneous high temperature generation compared to those of competitive diamond anvil cells. These advancements in KMA technology have been made primarily by Japanese scientists and engineers, which yielded a wealth of new experimental data on phase transitions, melting relations, and physical characteristics of minerals and rocks, leading to significant constraints on the structures, chemical compositions, and dynamics of the deep Earth. KMA technology has also been used for synthesis of novel functional materials such as nano-polycrystalline diamond and transparent nano-ceramics, opening a new research field of ultrahigh-pressure materials science.