Anomalous Phase Controlling Phenomenon in Ru and Bi Solid-Solution Alloying by Polyol Method at Ru-Rich Region

The syntheses of Bi-based solid-solution alloys are very significant and challenging. To synthesize RuBi solid-solution nanoparticles (NPs) by the polyol method, the effects of metal precursors, the amount of protecting agent, and reductant on the crystal structure and morphology were explored. The RuBi solid-solution NPs with face-centered cubic (fcc) structure were synthesized successfully for the first time, even by using a Ru precursor for hexagonal close-packed Ru. This anomalous phase controlling phenomenon originated from the nucleation process of Ru atoms with high-energy Bi atoms. Scan transmission electron microscope energy-dispersive X-ray mapping measurements demonstrated that Ru and Bi were homogeneously distributed at the atomic level as fcc-RuBi solid-solution NPs.