The Diacell® HeliosDAC has been designed specifically for the high-temperature range up to 1 300 K. It is suitable for both X-ray diffraction (2θ up to 50º) and optical work. It has gas-membrane drive, which is particularly suitable for high temperature operation as it is easy to compensate for any pressure changes due to heating. On holding the sample at 1 300 K for several hours, the exterior of the cell reaches a little over 700 K.

In the Diacell® HeliosDAC, heat is delivered directly to the gasket using a compact resistive heater that generates about 80 W at the gasket. With this design it is possible to generate heat within the smallest space around the anvils. This in turn avoids use of exotic construction materials and makes high temperature operation of the cell more reliable.

In high temperature operation using resistive heating it is essential to flush the interior of the cell, and all exposed faces of the diamond anvils, with a mildly reducing gas such as the commercially-available argon – 2% hydrogen mixture. This protects both the anvils and the interior of the cell from tarnishing.

Applications

There is an increasing demand for DACs that will operate at high temperatures.  It is generally agreed that above about 1 300 K the only realistic option is laser heating. Such installations are complex and expensive. However, for temperatures of up to 1300 K resistive heating is attractive as it is relatively simple.  Therefore, the Diacell® HeliosDAC is perfect for such application.

Two videos concerning the HeliosDAC are available on  Almax easyLab’s YouTube channel.  The video for disassembling the heater may be found by clicking here.  Similarly, the complementing video showing the re-assembling may be found here.