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We tested boron-doped diamond (BDD) synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as a heating element in a multi-anvil apparatus. We succeeded in manufacturing BDD into a tubular shape by laser cutting and electric discharging machining. The BDD tube shaped by the electric discharging machining was contaminated by discharging electrode materials (Mo and W), which affected the heating performance. The laser-cut BDD tube has a clean surface and, therefore, had a good heating performance. We succeeded in generating temperature as high as 2670 K at a pressure around 30 GPa with laser-cut heater. Heating reproducibility was confirmed through repeated heating and cooling cycles. The recovered sample shows that a higher temperature generation above 2670 K was prevented by eutectic melting of ZrO2 thermal insulator and Al2O3 sample. Owing to the commercial availability with a reasonable price, CVD–BDD heaters are more practical than a high-pressure synthesized BDD heaters for wide applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiC-MgO composite was developed as a heating element for X-ray study in the multi-anvil high pressure apparatus. We synthesized TiC-MgO blocks (50–70 wt.% of TiC) by compression in a cold isostatic press followed by baking in a gas flow furnace. Heaters of tubular shape were manufactured from the synthesized blocks either by lathe or numerically controlled milling machine. The so-produced heating elements have been proved to generate temperatures up to 2250 K at 10 GPa, condition where classical graphite heaters are not suitable anymore due to graphite-diamond transition. These new heaters have been successfully used for in situ X-ray radiography and diffraction measurements on liquid Fe alloys, exploiting excellent X-ray transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed an internal-resistive heated diamond-anvil cell (IHDAC) with a new resistance heater - boron-doped diamond (BDD) - along with an optimized design of the cell assembly, including a composite gasket. Our proposed technique is capable of heating a silicate/oxide material with (1) long-term stability (>1 h at 2500 K) and (2) uniform radial temperature distribution (±35 K at 2500 K across a 40-µm area), which are clear advantages over the conventional laser-heated and internal-heated DACs. In addition, the achieved temperature in this study was greater than 3500 K, which mostly covers the possible geotherm of the entire lower mantle. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement and ex situ chemical analyses confirmed that weak XRD intensity from the BDD heater and chemical inertness (no boron diffusion into silicate samples). This newly developed IHDAC with a BDD heater can be used to determine the phase diagrams of mantle materials with high precision and be used in lower-mantle petrology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the performance of a graphite–boron composite (GBC) with 3 wt % boron as a precursor for a boron-doped diamond heater in a Kawai-type apparatus at 15 GPa. We first tested a machinable cylinder of GBC sintered at 1000°C in Ar/H2gas (99:1 molar ratio). Boron oxide (B2O3) formed during sintering frequently hindered the GBC heater from stable operation at temperatures higher than 1400°C by producing melt throughout the heater together with oxide and/or silicates. We then rinsed the GBC heater in hydrochloric acid to remove B2O3. After rinsing, we succeeded in stably generating temperatures higher than 2000°C. We also improved a molding process of different-sized GBC tubes for convenient use and tested the molded GBC heater. It was free from the B2O3problem. The electromotive force of the W/Re thermocouple was successfully monitored up to 2400°C. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Semiconductor diamond is considered the best heater material to generate ultra-high temperatures in a Kawai cell. In two pioneering studies, a mixture of graphite and amorphous boron (or boron carbide, B4C) was converted to semiconductor diamond in the diamond stability field and was confirmed to generate 2000°C and 3500°C, respectively. Following these works, we synthesized a homemade boron-doped graphite block with fine machinability. With this technical breakthrough, we developed a semiconductor diamond heater in a smaller Kawai-type cell assembly. Here, we report the procedure for making machinable boron-doped graphite, and the performance of the material as a heater in a Kawai cell at 15 GPa using tungsten carbide anvils and at ∼50 GPa using sintered diamond anvils. Furthermore, we present a finite element simulation of the temperature distribution generated by a semiconductor diamond heater, which is much more homogeneous than that generated by a metal heater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]