Incorporation of a new design of backing seat and anvil in a Merrill-Bassett diamond anvil cell

A modification to the Merrill-Bassett miniature diamond anvil cell is reported here, with the inclusion of tungsten carbide backing seats with Boehler-Almax-cut diamonds to replace the previously used beryllium seats and (typically) modified brilliant-cut anvils. This has led to the removal of troublesome beryllium powder lines from diffraction images, while maintaining the pressure range and opening angle of the original design.