A new experimental method for measuring structural parameters under high pressure at room temperature has been successfully implemented in our laboratory. The method combines a commercial diamond anvil pressure cell (DAC) from Almax easyLab with the Rigaku Rapid II diffractometer.
The initial setup has been continuously optimized, balancing several key parameters—such as accessible sample space diameter versus beam size—to improve the quality of the collected data. The highest pressures reached so far are 23 GPa (UCu2P2) and 30 GPa (EuRu2P2), with further improvements likely possible through continued optimization and natural ageing of the pressure cell.
These developments have already contributed to multiple student projects, including a Ph.D. thesis (P. Král, 2024), a Bc. thesis (M. Jesenič, 2024), and a student faculty grant (M. Bystrický). Data from these initial experiments have been published or are currently being prepared for publication.
Despite being performed in a laboratory setting rather than at a synchrotron, the data quality is sufficient to observe the pressure dependence of lattice constants, detect pressure-induced structural transitions, and identify signs of pressure-induced valence transitions. These results have already supported successful beamtime proposals at international high-pressure facilities.
