Mechanism of Bi-Ni Phase Formation in a Microwave-Assisted Polyol Process.

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Michael Ruck and Thomas Doert at the Technische Universität Dresden (Germany). The cover picture shows the transformation of a Bi-Ni core-shell particle into a homogenous intermetallic BiNi particle. To understand the mechanism for the BiNi formation in the polyol process, various methods such as X-ray and electron diffraction, HR-TEM, mass spectrometry and FT-IR spectroscopy were employed. In a microwave-assisted one-pot synthesis at first Bi-particles emerge by reduction of a Bi-salt. The reduction of the Ni-salt most likely occurs on the surface of these particles, followed by a complete encasement of the Bi-core (blue) with a shell of Ni-particles (green). As the reaction continues, the Ni-atoms diffuse into the Bi-core until the homogeneous BiNi particle is attained. Read the full text of their Full Paper at 10.1002/open.202000236.