Low-temperature solution-mediated synthesis of polycrystalline intermetallic compounds from bulk metal powders

A variety of binary intermetallic compounds of late transition metals with low-melting post-transition metals have been synthesized in bulk quantities by reacting molten metal dispersions with fine metal powders in hot polyalcohol solvents. Fourteen distinct intermetallics were formed using this technique: SbSn, FeSn₂, Cu₆Sn₅, CoSn₃, Ni ₃Sn₄, FeGa₃, NiGa₄, Cu ₉Ga₄, CoGa₃, Ni₂In₃, InSb, In₅Bi₃, InBi, and Bi₃Ni. Notable among these are a low-temperature phase (α-CoSn₃), textured intermetallic powders with anisotropic morphologies (α-CoSn₃ and FeSn₂), and superconductors (Bi₃Ni and In ₅Bi₃). Reaction pathway studies suggest that the molten low-melting metals diffuse into the larger higher melting powders, forming intermetallic compounds directly in a liquid-phase medium from bulk-scale powders of the constituent elements.