High pressure neutron diffraction on WAND² with a Paris-Edinburgh press

ABSTRACT

The Paris-Edinburgh press is a widely available, highly adaptable pressure cell commonly used while collecting neutron scattering data. Here, we detail the use of the VX3 and VX5 Paris-Edinburgh presses on the Wide-Angle Neutron Diffractometer (WAND${}^2$) at the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We first give a detailed overview of the instrument setup and alignment capabilities used at WAND${}^2$. We then demonstrate the high pressure capabilities through three examples. The first example focuses on diffraction data obtained from a lithium-diamond mixture to 10 GPa with the use of single toroidal cubic boron nitride anvils. Other examples include the room temperature compressions of germanium (up to 16 GPa) and the mineral malachite with double toroidal sintered diamond anvils. This work thereby represents the first studies above 10 GPa at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and opens the door for future user experiments at these elevated pressures.

KEYWORDS:

• Neutron diffraction
• pressure
• Paris-Edinburgh press
• HFIR

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Malcolm Guthrie, Bryan Chakoumakos, Matthew Tucker and Reinhard Boehler for discussions. The authors are grateful for the assistance of Lisa Fagan, Mark Loguillo, Matt Rucker, Mariano Ruiz-Rodriguez and Gary Lynn throughout the experiments and for the support of the Research Reactors and Neutron Scattering Divisions. This research used resources at the WAND${}^2$ and SNAP beamlines of the High Flux Isotope Reactor and Spallation Neutron Source, DOE Office of Science User Facilities operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).