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Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
A New Intermetallic NiSn5 Phase: Induced Synthesis, Crystal Structure Resolution, and Investigation of Its Mechanism
Hangjun Ying1, Jianming Bai2, Shijun Li3
1School of Materials Science and Engineering , Zhejiang University , Hangzhou 310027 , P. R. China.
Abstract:
Benefiting from the nanoscale effect, some metastable compounds can be synthesized in nanoparticles under normal conditions. The new intermetallic NiSn5 phase is synthesized by us for the first time by using a seed crystal induction method. This tetragonal phase in the P4/ mcc space group has stoichiometric Ni atom defects, yielding Ni0.62Sn5. A study of the growth mechanism reveals that the FeSn5/CoSn5 seed crystal plays a vital role in the formation of the NiSn5 phase. An investigation of the phase evolution during lithiation/delithiation processes indicates the irreversibility of NiSn5 as an anode for lithium ion batteries.
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