Facile one-pot synthesis of water-soluble fcc FePt 3 alloy nanostructures

Proccessible FePt 3 alloy nanoparticles with sizes smaller than 50 nm open the avenue to novel magnetic sensor, catalytic and biomedical applications. Our research objective was to establish a highly scalable synthesis technique for production of single-crystalline FePt 3 alloy nanoparticles. We have elaborated a one-pot thermal decomposition technique for the synthesis of superparamagnetic FePt 3 nanoparticles (FePt 3 NPs) with mean sizes of 10 nm. Subsequent tiron coating provided water solubility of the FePt 3 NPs and further processibility as bidental ligands enable binding to catalyst surfaces, smart substrates or biosensors. The chemical composition, structure, morphology, magnetic, optical and crystallographic properties of the FePt 3 NPs were examined using high resolution transmission electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping, Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy.