Chemical synthesis of unique intermetallic TiFe nanostructures originating from the morphology of oxide precursors.

In this study, intermetallic TiFe nanostructures were chemically prepared from Ti-Fe oxide precursors using a CaH 2 reducing agent in molten LiCl at as low as 600 °C. The used precursor was spherical oxide nanoparticles or commercial FeTiO 3 bulk powder. After the reduction treatment, the former precursor was changed to an aggregation of TiFe nanoparticles with a particle size of 44-46 nm. Surprisingly, the latter precursor was reduced to a layered morphology composed of TiFe nanoparticles with a particle size of 47-65 nm. An intermetallic compound with a unique layered morphology was found for the first time, and the layered morphology could have originated from the morphology of the FeTiO 3 precursor in which the Fe 2+ and Ti 4+ ions occupied alternating layers perpendicular to the trigonal c -axis. The precursor originated morphology was enabled by the proposed low reduction temperature method, and the environment-friendliness of the proposed method was finally evaluated using life-cycle assessment (LCA).