Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><span style=""font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif';"">This application requests the acquisition of a gas loading apparatus for compressing gas or gas mixtures into a diamond anvil cell (DAC) and subject the sample&nbsp; under extreme pressure&nbsp; conditions. This application is supported by the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and will be located at the synchrotron. The CLS has committed to house, operate and maintenance this equipment. It will be available for qualified general users approved by the CLS.&nbsp; <br /> </span></p> <p><span style=""font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif';""> The state of a matter is uniquely defined by the pressure and temperature.&nbsp; Temperature is the most often used to induce physical and chemical changes. In comparison pressure is a less well-known parameter to alter the chemical and physical properties of matters.&nbsp; Owing to the the advances in the design of high pressure apparatus, particularly, the diamond anvil cell (DAC), nowadays, it is rather straightforward to generate pressures covering a range over ten orders of magnitude in the laboratory.&nbsp; The DAC is well suited for most&nbsp; laboratory and synchrotron radiation based spectroscopy.&nbsp; This ha<span style=""font-family: 'Cambria','serif';"">s</span> allowed the investigation of&nbsp; unusual states of matters.&nbsp; A recent revolutionary discovery made with this technique is the observation of very high superconducting temperature of 200K by loading gaseous hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) into an very small enclosed sample chamber between the diamond anvils and compressed to very high pressure.&nbsp; This experiment highlights how the property can be changed dramatically from a collection of simple gas molecules to a metallic and superconducting solid.&nbsp; The high pressure apparatus requested will give us the ability to load gaseous species mixtures for the study of the condensed state at high pressure. This will open up a wealth of research possibilities not otherwise attainable, for instance the study of the physical properties of condensed constituents of giant planets (H₂ and others) and their satellites (e.g., H₂O and NH₃); the synthesis of novel binary solids formed from gaseous species and hydrogen bearing compounds and the study of gas-solid reactions under high pressure-high temperature conditions. The lack of accessibility of this apparatus is not just simply an inconvenience, it will curtail the promotion and development of the high pressure science and technology in Canada, a critical subject of materials research. Apart from the research group members of the PIs, this instrument can be also be used to prepare samples for other off-site researchers. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style=""font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Cambria','serif';"">&nbsp; <br /> </span></p>