About

Pressure, alongside temperature, magnetic field, and chemical composition, is a fundamental physical parameter for understanding and controlling the properties of materials. High-pressure techniques have long been essential in Earth and planetary sciences for simulating the extreme environments of the Earth’s deep interior and planetary interiors. They are also powerful approaches in condensed matter physics, chemistry, materials science, and crystallography for exploring novel materials and pressure-induced phenomena. By overcoming the thermodynamic limitations of ambient conditions, pressure enables access to metastable phases that cannot otherwise be stabilized, expanding opportunities for the development of functional and quantum materials, including multiferroics, superconductors, and quantum materials.

Structural information is central to understanding the physical and chemical properties of materials. X-ray and neutron diffraction, particularly single-crystal and powder diffraction, are among the most powerful tools for determining crystal structures. When combined with high-pressure conditions, diffraction techniques allow direct observation of structural evolution, phase transitions, and electronic-structure changes as functions of pressure and temperature. However, high-pressure diffraction remains technically demanding because of constraints in beam size, pressure-cell geometry, sample volume, and data collection. The opening of the TPS 15A micro-crystal X-ray diffraction beamline at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center provides important momentum for advancing challenging high-pressure single-crystal diffraction studies in Taiwan.

As one of the few interdisciplinary academic events in Taiwan dedicated to pressure effects, the International Workshop on High Pressure Science brings together researchers from Taiwan and abroad in high-pressure science, condensed matter physics, materials science, crystallography, Earth sciences, and international synchrotron X-ray and neutron facilities. Over three days, the workshop will focus on high-pressure synthesis, physical-property measurements, diffraction, and data analysis. Through lectures, technical exchange, and hands-on training, the workshop aims to promote cross-disciplinary interaction, expand the application of high-pressure science, and foster young researchers engaged in pressure-related research.

Program

The program is organized into three thematic sessions: large-volume press techniques (LVP), diamond anvil cell techniques (DAC), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD).

Large-volume press techniques (LVP) provide stable and well-controlled high-pressure and high-temperature environments for relatively large sample volumes, making them indispensable tools for high-pressure synthesis and materials research under extreme conditions. LVP methods are particularly well suited for preparing sufficient quantities of novel metastable materials and for investigating pressure-induced reactions and phase transitions. These techniques include a range of experimental platforms, such as multi-anvil presses, Kawai-type high-pressure apparatuses, and Paris-Edinburgh cells, which can be integrated with synchrotron X-ray and neutron facilities for structural analysis and physical-property studies under pressure. This session will focus on the application of LVP techniques to novel materials synthesis, extreme-condition experimental design, and large-scale facility measurements.

The Diamond Anvil Cell (DAC) session focuses on techniques that use opposing diamond anvils to compress microscopic samples and generate extremely high pressures within a compact experimental platform. DAC methods can be combined with optical, electrical transport, magnetic, Raman spectroscopic, and laboratory or synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements to investigate pressure-induced changes in structure, electronic configuration, and physical properties. As a versatile tool for studying pressure effects, DAC has broad applications across Earth sciences, condensed matter physics, and materials research. This session will highlight DAC experimental design and diverse physical-property measurement methods, with invited experts from Taiwan and abroad sharing recent scientific results and technical experience.

The Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction (SC-XRD) session addresses one of the most powerful methods for resolving atomic arrangements, symmetry, bonding environments, and structural distortions in crystalline materials. When combined with high-pressure techniques, SC-XRD enables researchers to follow the continuous evolution of crystal structures under compression and to clarify pressure-induced phase transitions, lattice instabilities, electronic-state reconstruction, and structure-property relationships in functional and quantum materials. This session will discuss single-crystal diffraction methods using laboratory and synchrotron X-ray sources, micro-crystal measurement strategies, and related technical developments , with invited experts presenting recent advances and research applications of high-pressure single-crystal diffraction in Taiwan.