Cubic SnGe nanoalloys: beyond thermodynamic composition limit

Abstract

Tin–germanium alloys are increasingly of interest as optoelectronic and thermoelectric materials as well as materials for Li/Na ion battery electrodes. However, the lattice incompatibility of bulk Sn and Ge makes creating such alloys challenging. By exploiting the unique strain tolerance of nanosized crystals, we have developed a facile synthetic method for homogeneous Sn_xGe_1−x alloy nanocrystals with composition varying from essentially pure Ge to 95% Sn while still maintaining the cubic structure.