Wet-Chemical Synthesis of DO19 Type Intermetallic Compounds: The Case for Ni3Sn Nanoparticles

The present study uses wet-chemical synthesis of highly crystalline single-phase Ni 3 Sn nanoparticles in DO 19 structure. Because of their high mechanical strength and high melting point, DO 19 structured intermetallic compounds (IMCs) have become an interesting candidate for robust catalytic activities, which might be further enhanced at lower dimensions. Highly crystalline samples were synthesized using four different surfactants, namely, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), citric acid, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and pyrogallol. It was found that single phase Ni 3 Sn could only be obtained in the case of PVP and SDS, while for citric acid and pyrogallol, secondary phases of Ni 3 Sn 2 and Ni were also obtained, respectively. Surface morphology of the samples without any surfactant showed a layered structure. Use of PVP and SDS resulted in the formation of nanorods and random nanoparticles, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed the presence of metallic Ni and Sn in Ni 0 and Sn 0 state along with some traces of Ni 2+ , Sn 2+ and Sn 4+ that could have formed due to the oxidation of Ni and Sn atoms at the surface of nanoparticle. The present report suggests that other DO 19 IMCs could also be synthesized using a similar approach.