Fig. 1. Experimental research hall of the synergetic extreme condition user facility (SECUF) at Changchun.

Fig. 2. (a) Schematic of 20 000 t ultrahigh-pressure belt-type apparatus. (b) Main structural diagrams of this apparatus with dimensions (mm) from different aspects.

Fig. 3. (a) 3000 t Kawai-type high-pressure apparatus (Kawai-type LVP). (b) Kawai-type module. (c) MgSiO₃–Al₂O₃ mineral system phase relation at different pressures and 2000 K in a previous study.¹⁹ The red circular symbol corresponds to the solubility of Al₂O₃ in bridgmanite in the present study, which is calibrated at 29 GPa in the phase relationship represented by the blue curve with dot symbols. Brg, bridgmanite; Cor, corundum; Gar, garnet. (d) Pressure in the chamber vs oil pressure. The curve is constructed from several sets of conventional resistance pressure calibrations and a mineral pressure calibration. En₅₀Cor₅₀ (En = MgSiO₃, Cor = Al₂O₃) is the starting material for the mineral pressure calibration. The sample was obtained at a set load and a temperature of 2000 K. The solubility of Al₂O₃ in bridgmanite was then determined to confirm the chamber pressure using the phase relationship shown in (c). Reprinted with permission from Ge et al., Chin. J. High Pressure Phys. 38, 030201 (2024). Copyright 2024 Chinese Journal of High Pressure Physics Editorial Office.²⁰ (e) Temperature in the high-pressure assembly vs heating power curve in an HPHT experiment at 29 GPa.

Fig. 4. (a) Relation of Vickers hardness/toughness to grain size of PCD-1 to PCD-6. Reprinted with permission from Lian et al., Int. J. Refract. Met. Hard Mater. 118, 106490 (2024). Copyright 2023 Elsevier Ltd. (b) Pair distribution function g(r) of bulk amorphous carbon samples AC-1 (synthesized at 20 GPa and 1000 °C) and AC-3 (synthesized at 27 GPa and 1000 °C). Gra, graphite; Dia, diamond. Reprinted with permission from Shang et al., Nature 599(7886), 599–604 (2021). Copyright 2024 Springer Nature Limited. (c) Estimated ZT values of β-Ag₂S as functions of temperature at different pressures. Reprinted with permission from Zhao et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 123, 062202 (2023). Copyright 2023 AIP Publishing LLC.²⁶ (d) Logarithm of acoustic emission hit rates, oil pressure, and displacement as a function of time during a typical acoustic emission experiment with boron–epoxy and pyrophyllite as pressure-transmitting medium. Reprinted with permission from Ma et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 94, 023901 (2023). Copyright 2023 Authors, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

Fig. 5. (a) Ultrahigh temperature and static high-pressure apparatus. (b) Nested heater chamber. The heater is placed in the high-pressure vessel. (c) High-pressure vessel with connected fiber optic couplers.

Fig. 6. (a) High-pressure generation apparatus. (b) The piston–cylinder device is surrounded by a water cooling system (golden-colored). (c) Schematic of cell assembly to seal samples.

Fig. 7. Material synthesis, planetary research, and biological research in HPHT liquid environments. (a) A large-molecule pressure transmitting medium (DAPHNE 7575) is used as a structure-fortifying guest species to stabilize the prototypical MOF-5 at high pressures (>9 GPa) and enable the recovery of crystalline material upon decompression. Reprinted with permission from Baxter et al., Chem. Mater. 34(2), 768–776 (2022). Copyright 2022 American Chemical Society. (b) Temperature and pressure phase diagram of water ice. Different high-pressure ice phases corresponding to different icy satellites in the solar system.⁴⁷ (c) Cartoon showing organisms known to exist in the ocean under extreme conditions.⁴⁸

Fig. 8. NHP station. (a) 30 MN (630 bars) downstroke press with (d) D-DIA-type module. (b) 30 MN (3000 t) rotational apparatus with (e) two PE-type WC anvils. (c) 10 MN (690 bars) laboratory rapid compression press with (f) double-stage PE-type module (f).

Fig. 9. D-DIA press. (a) Schematic of 5/3 assembly with alumina pistons. (b) 6–6 compression mode with high-pressure shear assembly. (c) Difference compression positions of D-DIA upper and lower guide blocks. (d) Pressure calibration of conventional 5/3 assembly and shear assembly. (e) Typical signal recorded by the oscillograph during rapid compression. (f) Oil pressure jump curve obtained from this signal.

Fig. 10. (a) X-ray diffraction patterns of amorphous sulfur, showing rapid compression amorphization. Reprinted with permission from Shao et al., Macromolecules 40, 9475–9481 (2007). Copyright 2007 American Chemical Society.⁵⁶ (b) Compression and release path in the phase diagram of Bi under HPHT. Reprinted with permission from Pépin et al., Phys. Rev. B 100(6), 060101 (2019). Copyright 2019 American Physical Society. (c) Transition from graphite to hexagonal diamond and cubic diamond under low pressure, and to the fullerene phase under moderate pressure and shear conditions. Reprinted with permission from Gao et al., Carbon 146, 364–368 (2019). Copyright 2019 Elsevier Ltd. (d) Moment magnitudes of acoustic emission events, pressure, strain, and stress vs time. Reprinted with permission from Wang et al., Sci. Adv. 3(7), e1601896 (2017). 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science.