One-Pot Size-Controlled Synthesis of Tin- and Antimony-Based Intermetallic Nanoparticles

Intermetallic nanoparticles show unique electronic, magnetic, and optical properties. Nonetheless, methods of their synthesis with both size and phase control are scarce, restricting exploration of these materials' applications. We demonstrate synthetic protocols toward freestanding intermetallic nanoparticles consisting of d-block transition metals and p-block metals/metalloids, including CrSn2, MnSn2, FeSn2, MnSb, FeSb2, and CoSb. Reaction variables such as precursor type, temperature, reagent concentration, and reducing agent are all shown to affect the size and/or phase of the intermetallic nanoparticles. The ubiquity of these protocols is demonstrated by showing the magnetic characterization of MnSb nanoparticles as a function of both size and Mn/Sb stoichiometry. The synthetic protocols established here are expected to be readily adaptable to other intermetallic systems.

Automated summary

Researchers have developed a synthetic method for producing intermetallic nanoparticles composed of transition metals and p-block metals/metalloids. The size and phase of the nanoparticles can be controlled by adjusting reaction variables, and the method is applicable to other intermetallic systems.