Novel experimental approaches toward metastable materials discovery under pressure

High pressure is a powerful synthetic tool that enables the discovery of novel materials with unprecedented bonding, crystal structure, and bulk properties. We are developing experimental methods that provide chemists with access to regions of high-pressure phase space that are currently difficult to explore. Examples include methods to target specific elemental compositions in ternary systems where competing binary phases are a complication, or techniques to kinetically stabilize high-pressure phases that do not survive traditional decompression routes. Our work is underpinned by state-of-the-art DFT packages that allow us to explore systems in search of candidate high-pressure phases and determine their formation conditions before even stepping into the lab. I will present recent results that highlight the growing synergy between cutting-edge computational methods and novel experimental approaches.