Solvothermal synthesis of nanostructured ternary skutterudite Fe0.5Ni0.5Sb3

Materials with skutterudite structure possess attractive thermoelectric properties. In this study, ternary skutterudite compound Fe0.5Ni0.5Sb3 has been successfully synthesized at 240 °C for 48 h by a solvothermal method. It is found that diantimonides MSb2 (M = Fe, Ni) occur in the early stage of synthesis and then combine with antimony atoms to form the skutterudite triantimonide, Fe0.5Ni0.5Sb3. The synthesized Fe0.5Ni0.5Sb3 powders consist of irregular granules with an average particle size of about 50 nm. Transport measurements show that the unfilled ternary Fe0.5Ni0.5Sb3 skutterudite possesses metallic electrical properties.