Issue 4, 2024

Synthesis of high-entropy germanides and investigation of their formation process

Abstract

High-entropy alloys and compounds have emerged as an attractive research area in part because of their distinctive solid-solution structure and multi-element compositions that provide near-limitless tailorability. A diverse array of reports describing high-entropy compounds, including carbides, nitrides, sulfides, oxides, fluorides, silicides, and borides, has resulted. Strikingly, exploration of high-entropy germanides (HEGs) has remained relatively limited. In this study, we present a detailed investigation into the synthesis of HEGs, specifically AuAgCuPdPtGe and FeCoNiCrVGe, via a rapid thermal annealing. The structural, compositional, and morphological characteristics of the synthesized HEGs were assessed using laboratory X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Complementing these post-synthesis analyses, we interrogated the formation and growth mechanisms using in situ heating XRD and TEM and determined that HEG formation involved initial decomposition of germanane (GeNSs) during the annealing, followed by gradual grain growth via atom diffusion at temperatures below 600 °C, and finally a rapid grain growth process at elevated temperatures.

Graphical abstract: Synthesis of high-entropy germanides and investigation of their formation process

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
08 yan 2024
Accepted
01 mar 2024
First published
01 mar 2024

Nanoscale Horiz., 2024,9, 580-588

Synthesis of high-entropy germanides and investigation of their formation process

C. Ni, K. M. O’Connor, C. Butler and J. G. C. Veinot, Nanoscale Horiz., 2024, 9, 580 DOI: 10.1039/D4NH00012A

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