Nanospheres of a New Intermetalic FeSn5 Phase: Synthesis Magnetic Properties and Anode Performance in Li-ion Batteries
We synthesized monodisperse nanospheres of an intermetallic FeSn{sub 5} phase via a nanocrystal-conversion protocol using preformed Sn nanospheres as templates. This tetragonal phase in P4/mcc space group, along with the defect structure Fe{sub 0.74}Sn{sub 5} of our nanospheres, has been resolved by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement. Importantly, FeSn{sub 5}, which is not yet established in the Fe-Sn phase diagram, exhibits a quasi-one dimensional crystal structure along the c-axis, thus leading to interesting anisotropic thermal expansion and magnetic properties. Magnetization measurements indicate that nanospheres are superparamagnetic above the blocking temperature T{sub B} = 300 K, which is associated with the higher magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant K = 3.33 kJ m{sup -3}. The combination of the magnetization measurements and first-principles density functional theory calculations reveals the canted antiferromagnetic nature with significant spin fluctuation in lattice a-b plane. The low Fe concentration also leads Fe{sub 0.74}Sn{sub 5} to enhanced capacity as an anode in Li ion batteries.