Physico-Chemical Nanomaterials Science

Synthesis and morphology of pure Co and CoSn3 nanoparticles synthesized via a chemical reduction method
Yakymovych A.S.1, Plevachuk Yu.O.2
1 Department of Inorganic Chemistry – Functional Materials, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Althanstr., 14, Vienna-1090, Austria. 
E-mail: yakymovychandriy@gmail.com
2 Department of Metal Physics, Faculty of Physics, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Kyrylo & Mephodiy str. 8, Lviv-79005, Ukraine.
E-mail: plevachuk@mail.lviv.ua

The pure Co and intermetallic Co-Sn nanosized particles were synthesized via a borohydride reduction method with NaBH4 in aqueous solution of the Co and Sn chloride salts at room temperature. A minor amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was added into the reaction solutions to avoid a possible aggregation of the in situ synthesized metal nanoparticles (NPs)The ratio of the Co and Sn was chosen equal to the stoichiometry of the CoSn3 intermetallic compound [1]. It was attempt to synthesize bimetallic nanoparticles employing Co nanoparticles into the reaction solution instead of the cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate as the cobalt precursor.. 
The morphology, elemental and phase composition of the as-synthesized NPs were analyzed based on the results of SEM, TEM and XRD investigations.
The authors want to acknowledge the help of Dr. Peter Svec Sr. of the Institute of Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences with the TEM and SEM studies, and to acknowledge the support of emer. o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Herbert Ipser of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry – Functional Materials, University of Vienna in both planning of the investigations and analysis of the obtained results. 

1.	Plevachuk Yu., Sklyarchuk V., Shtablavyi I., Mudry S., Brillo J., Kobatake H., Yakymovych A., Fürtauer S., Skolyszewska-Kühberger B., Richter K. W., Flandorfer H., Ipser H. Liquid Co–Sn alloys at high temperatures: structure and physical properties // Phys. Chem. Liq.-2016.-54.-P. 440-453.