Transforming materials, preserving food, and revealing planetary secrets through extreme pressure
Imagine being able to transform graphite into dazzling diamonds, create foods that stay fresh for weeks without preservatives, or replicate the extreme conditions deep inside planets—all through the power of immense pressure.
High pressure can fundamentally alter material properties, creating substances with unique characteristics impossible under normal conditions.
ESS-HPT 2016 brought together 25 students from 10 nationalities and 20 professors to advance high-pressure technology 6 .
At its core, pressure is simply force applied over an area. But when that force reaches thousands or even millions of times Earth's atmospheric pressure, extraordinary things happen to ordinary matter 4 .
While temperature changes affect how atoms vibrate, pressure works differently—it forces atoms closer together into a smaller volume, fundamentally altering atomic interactions and chemical bonding 4 .
| Environment or Technology | Approximate Pressure | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday atmospheric pressure | 0.0001 GPa | Baseline for comparison |
| Pneumatic car tire | 0.0002-0.0003 GPa | Everyday high-pressure experience |
| High-Pressure Processing (HPP) of food | 0.3-0.6 GPa | Kills pathogens while preserving freshness 2 |
| Diamond anvil cell experiments | 2-640 GPa | Research into new material phases 8 9 |
| Earth's core | 300-360 GPa | Planetary interior conditions 9 |
For over two decades, The European Summer School in High Pressure Technology has served as a crucial incubator for the next generation of scientists in this specialized field 6 .
The 2016 session continued this tradition with a two-week curriculum covering "the wide range of compressed and supercritical gases from the fundamentals till industrial applications including necessary design of apparatus and plants" .
Bringing together diverse perspectives to tackle complex challenges
Students
Nationalities
Professors
ESS-HPT established as a comprehensive education program in high-pressure technology 6
Session held at University of Maribor and Graz University of Technology, focusing on industrial applications
Evolution into Blended Intensive Program supported by ERASM+
One of the most visible applications of high-pressure technology is in the food industry, particularly through High Pressure Processing (HPP). This innovative non-thermal preservation technique subjects already packaged food and beverages to intense hydrostatic pressure—typically 300-600 MPa for a few seconds up to 10 minutes 2 .
Longer shelf life
Compared to untreated products| Processing Method | Temperature Range | Impact on Food Properties | Microorganism Inactivation |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Pressure Processing (HPP) | Below 40°C | Minimal impact, preserves fresh qualities | Effective against pathogens, preserves nutrients 2 |
| Pasteurization | Under 100°C | Moderate impact on sensory and nutritional properties | Effective but does not inactivate spores |
| Sterilization | Above 121°C | Significant alteration of properties | Inactivates all microorganisms, including spores |
In 2025, scientists discovered a previously unknown phase of ice—dubbed ice XXI—that persists at room temperature under extreme pressure 8 .
"Rapid compression of water allows it to remain liquid up to higher pressures, where it should have already crystallized to ice VI" - Geun Woo Lee, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science 8 . This discovery suggests a greater number of high-temperature metastable ice phases may exist than previously thought.
Up to 640 GPa+ pressure range using nanocrystalline diamond anvils 9 . Essential for structural studies with X-rays.
Ultra High PressureUp to ~30 GPa pressure with uniform compression from multiple directions 4 . Combines high pressure and temperature.
High PressureVariable pressure range with excellent hydrostatic conditions 5 . Enables in-situ pressure tuning for precise experiments.
Variable PressureUnderstanding high-pressure phases of minerals helps explain planetary formation and structure 3 4 .
Synthesizing novel materials, including superhard substances that rival diamond in hardness 3 .
Increasing critical transition temperature of superconducting materials for practical applications 3 .
A 2025 study used graph neural networks trained on density functional theory data to identify potential phase transitions in materials 3 .
New high-pressure stable phases
Rediscovered phase transitions
Active learning iterations
As research continues to extend achievable pressure ranges and develop innovative processing techniques, high-pressure technology will remain essential for addressing fundamental questions about matter and developing revolutionary applications that enhance our lives.