Non-crystalline material researches under pressure using synchrotron X-ray techniques and the novel design for linear interlock strain assembly (LISA) DAC

The behavior of non-crystalline materials under high pressure extreme conditions attracted great deal of interest. Unusual behavior, such as pressure-induced amorphization of solid forms, liquid-to-liquid transformation, pressure-induced polyamorphism from low- to high-density states of glasses, and the dynamics of pressure-induced crystallization process were reported but not fully understood. In this presentation, several selected non-crystalline systems, including melt, were in situ studied under high pressure using synchrotron x-ray microtomography, x-ray scattering as well as pair distribution function (PDF) techniques in diamond anvil cell (DAC) and large volume press. To overcome the missing angle problem in the DAC microtomographic experiments, a novel DAC with the full side opening, linear interlock strain assembly (LISA) type DAC was designed and preliminary tested. The LISA type cell could reach pressure over 20 GPa at room temperature using ruby scale, and the comparison between the microtomography experiments with and without missing angle will be demonstrated. Potential further applications for LISA type DAC in other scientific scenarios, which would be required bigger side view opening since those cases might simultaneously use multiple synchrotron techniques, are encouraged.