Sample loading under ambient inert atmosphere or with inert noble gases address distinct challenges in diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments:

• Sample loading under inert atmosphere prevents chemical degradation of air-sensitive samples during cell assembly and sample placement into the gasket hole.
• Noble inert gas loading, usually at high-pressure, encapsulates dense hydrostatic fluids into the sample hole;

This resource will briefly review the main techniques for preparing such high pressure diamond anvil cell experiments. 

A glove box provides a stable, low‑oxygen and low‑moisture environment that enables safe manipulation of sensitive materials. The use of a glove box protects oxygen- or moisture-sensitive samples from oxidation/degradation.
For many DAC applications, this is the most practical and widely used approach for preparing and assembling samples under inert gas such as argon or nitrogen.

Benefits

• Maintains oxygen and moisture levels typically below 1 ppm;
• Allows complete assembly of the DAC, gasket, and sample without exposure to ambient air;
• Enables safe handling of reactive, air‑sensitive, or hygroscopic compounds;
• Reduces risk of sample degradation, oxidation, or hydration.

Limitations

• Fine alignment can be more delicate due to limited freedom through gloves;
• Physical size limitations may restrict the use of larger equipment;
• Some operations—such as detailed optical alignment— still need to be performed outside the glove box.

The cryogenic gas-loading technique is a method that uses relatively simple and cost-effective cryogenic techniques wherein liquefied gas is loaded in to the diamond anvil cell.
The diamond anvil cell is placed in a cryostat or liquid nitrogen bath to drop the cell temperature below the boiling point of the target gas.
Gas introduced to the vessel condenses into a liquid inside the gasket hole, and the cell is clamped shut remotely while cold.

Benefits

• Loading Ar, N2, O2 and any other gas condensing above 77 K can be loaded into DACs;
• Small footprint equipment to be used on a lab bench;
• Ease of use with an effective cryogenic gas loading in around 15 minute.

Equipment Required:

• Cryogenic immersion vessel as the Almax easyLab Diacell® Cryoloader; 
• Long-reach gear drives or clamping tools to close the DAC once the liquefied gas has been captured between the anvils and the gasket.

Limitations

• Requires handling cryogens;
• Managing thermal contraction of sealing hardware;
• Preventing ambient frost/water ice contamination;
• Avoiding thermal shock to the diamond anvils.

Benefits

• Hydrostatic Pressure Environment – ensure fully hydrostatic pressure media across a wide pressure range;
• Optical & X-ray Transparency;
• Chemical Inertness;
• High-Density Gas Studies: investigate physical properties under gas-rich environments.

Limitations

• Automated high-pressure vessel with multi-stage gas boosters;
• High-vacuum pumps;
• Motorized or manual remote sealing drives;
• Compatible gas loader transmissions kits with both DACs and high pressure vessel;
• High-pressure safety shielding.

• DAC setup: The sample and pressure calibrants are positioned inside a micro-hole of a DAC that will be kept slightly unsealed.
• Evacuation & Flushing: The open DAC is placed inside a specialized chamber. To remove moist and air the chamber of the gas loader is filled and flushed with the gas few times.
• Gas loading : Gas introduced to the chamber condenses into a liquid inside the gasket hole.
• DAC Sealing: Motorized or manual gear drives remotely close the DAC inside the chamber, trapping the gas within the gasket hole.
• Recovery: The sealed DAC is extracted with the trapped gas pre-pressurized inside.