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Abstract. We synthesized a cubic BC 3 (c-BC 3 ) phase, by direct transformation from graphitic phases at a pressure of 39 GPa and temperature of 2200 K in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (DAC). A combination of x-ray diffraction (XRD), electron diffraction (ED), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) measurements lead us to conclude that the obtained phase is hetero-nano-diamond, c-BC 3 . Highresolution TEM (HRTEM) imaging of the c-BC 3 specimen recovered at ambient conditions demonstrates that the c-BC 3 is a single, uniform, nanocrystalline phase with a grain size of about 3-5 nm. The EELS measurements show that the atoms inside the cubic structure are bonded by sp 3 bonds. The zero-pressure lattice parameter of the c-BC 3 calculated from diffraction peaks was found to be a = 3.589 ± 0.007 Å. The composition of the c-BC 3 is determined from EELS measurements. The ratio of carbon to boron, C/B, is approximately 3 (2.8 ± 0.7).2

X-ray fluorescence analysis on rice (brown rice, white rice and wash-free rice) and rice bran has been performed by using a dry battery X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer in combination with a pyroelectric X-ray generator and a potable Si PIN X-ray detector. As a reference, a similar analysis with a commercial energy dispersion XRF spectrometer achieved the detection of K, Mn, Fe, S, Cu, Zn and Rb. The difference of the XRF spectra revealed that K, Fe, Mn, S and Rb were contained in rice bran. Nevertheless, the dry battery spectrometer detected only K, Mn and Fe ; the measured abundances of these elements in rice and rice bran were almost similar. This difference of detected elements is mainly due to the difference between characteristic Xrays from both X-ray sources, and not due to the difference in the intensities of excited X-rays. Thus, the dry battery XRF spectrometer has sufficient capability for the XRF analysis on crops as commercial spectrometers, notwithstanding the low power of the X-ray outputs.

For analysis of lithium ion batteries, the soft X-ray grating monochromator beamline BL-2 at SR center of Ritsumeikan University has been upgraded: adding a new grating (900 l/mm) to extend the available energy up to 1000 eV, and constructing a XAFS (X-ray Absorption Fine Structure)-PES (photoelectron spectroscopy) chamber equipped with in-situ transfer vessel systems. With this beamline, Li K-, O K-and 3d transition metal (TM) L-XAFS and Li 1s PES spectra were measured for several compounds related to Li ion batteries. For precise analysis of the Li chemical state, some of Li compounds, as well as Li metal were prepared by vacuum deposition.

For X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPED) and holography measurements we developed a novel laboratory instrument with the multienergy high power X-ray source and the high energy and high angular resolution photoelectron spectrometer system. The photon intensities of Al-Kα, Cr-Lα and Cu-Kα were estimated at 4.6×10 11 cps, 7.5×10 10 cps and 7.2×10 10 cps, respectively. Ag3d XPS also revealed that the energy resolutions of Al-Kα and Cr-Lα sources were 0.9 eV and 3.1 eV, respectively. XPS and XPED of h-BN/Ni(111) excited by Al-Kα and Cr-Lα elucidated the potential and the validity of the XPED and holography analysis by using this novel instrument. Cu-Kα excitation XPS and Ti1s XPED measurements of the SrTiO3 (001) surface have also been performed.