Synthetic diamonds produce pressure of 125 GPa (1.25 Mbar)

Abstract
Synthetic gray-blue diamonds were used as anvils in a diamond anvil cell to produce a pressure of 125 GPa (1.25 Mbar) in a gasketed sample. Pressure was measured by x-ray diffraction methods by using gold and iron as a calibrant and also by optical methods based on the shift of the fluorescence peaks of ruby with pressure. The future potential of synthetic diamonds for ultrapressure research is discussed.