Phys.org February 1, 2022
Nano-multi-principal element intermetallic (MPEI) compounds composed of multi-elemental metals in definite proportions have properties and crystal structure that are different from its constituents. An international team of researchers (USA – University of Maryland, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Delaware, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Washington State University, UC San Diego, Canada) has demonstrated a disorder-to-order phase transition approach that enabled the synthesis of ultrasmall and stable MPEI nanoparticles (up to eight elements). They applied 5 min of Joule heating to promote the phase transition of the nanoparticles into L10 intermetallic structure, which is then preserved by rapidly cooling. This resulted in phase-stable nanoscale MPEIs with compositions (e.g., PtPdAuFeCoNiCuSn), which have not been previously attained by traditional synthetic methods. According to the researchers their synthesis strategy offers a new paradigm for developing previously unexplored MPEI nanoparticles by accessing a nanoscale-size regime and novel compositions with potentially broad applications… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
MPEI nanoparticle synthetic process, product, and comparison with the literature. Credit: SCIENCE ADVANCES, 28 Jan 2022, Vol 8, Issue 4Â