Abstract
10 years ago, Dave Mao, director of EFree (energy frontier research in extreme environments), a DOE energy frontier recognized the importance of neutron science for energy research. The subsequent establishment of a neutron group within EFree lead to the establishment of an “Instrument Development Team” for SNAP, the High-Pressure beamline at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The idea was to develop novel high pressure techniques to expand the pressure range for neutron diffraction. A goal was set to reach half megabar levels (50 GPa), which at the time was considered as extremely challenging. Here we will give a brief overview of the developments during the last decade in this novel area of research. Fortunately, during this period multi carat diamond anvils have become available mainly by the chemical vapor deposition process (CVD), making research in this pressure range and beyond rather routine. This paper shows the latest developments in large anvil designs, compact multiple ton diamond cells and some examples of high-quality neutron diffraction patterns of sample sizes far below conventional levels.
