Scientists Developed New-type Diamond Anvil Cell in Japan

Japan's National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and researchers from Ehime University have developed a new type diamond anvil cell (DAC)recently by superconducting diamond micro manufacturing technology; The superconducting diamond can be conductive like metal and work as an electrode.

Yoshihiko Takano from NIMS leading a team called nano frontier superconducting material team and Tetsuo Irifune from Ehime University leading geodynamics research center (GRC), jointly developed the new technology. The superconducting diamond obtained by micro manufacturing technology not only is conductive like metals, but also works as an electrode in the most hard and not easily broken nanoscale polycrystalline diamond.

The past traditional process needs the skills that technical personnel can skillfully install four electrodes on the samples that are only a few microns. And now the new preparation process can directly replace it, making the difficulty of measuring the resistance under ultrahigh pressure greatly reduced. In addition, because the diamond electrode can be repeatedly used, the equipment work and physical properties measurement of economic efficiency have been obviously improved.

Because the study sample is only 100 microns in size, so it is quite difficult to operate. In order to produce millions of atmospheric pressure, the sample sizes need to be smaller, so the technical difficulty to add electrode manually to the samples, is more challenging.

In view of this, the team uses electron beam lithography technology to create a superconducting diamond electrode. Because flake diamond electrode is more convenient for etching, researchers use a flake diamond and diamond with a curet develop diamond anvil cell.

With the help of the world's most hard diamond electrodes and diamond anvil cell, researchers in Japan have successfully developed a new type diamond anvil cell. But as a result of the limit of experiment conditions and technical requirements, the research and development of diamond material under ultrahigh pressure is still in the tentative exploration.