Engineered interfaces for heterostructured intermetallic nanomaterials

Heterostructured nanomaterials are of interest for many applications due to their unique properties, which depend on the identity of each individual component and the interface between them. However, the difficulty of controlling the synthesis of heterostructures and the interfaces between components limits their applications. Here we develop a colloidal synthetic method to prepare heterostructured intermetallic nanomaterials (iNMs) and engineer the interfaces between the individual components, based on the galvanic replacement mechanism and precisely controlled addition of precursors. Up to four distinct intermetallic phase-segregated segments could be combined in one nanoparticle. Nanometre-precision phase-segregated control along one dimension of iNMs was demonstrated by taking advantage of the layered growth pathway at the intermetallic-metal interfaces, leading to a maximum number of interfaces between different intermetallic phases. By adjusting the number of interfaces in a particle, we demonstrated systematic control of the interface-to-bulk ratio in heterostructured iNMs. This method offers great potential for preparing complex heterostructured nanomaterials with controlled interfaces, enabling the exploration of their properties and applications. The tailored synthesis of heterostructured intermetallic nanomaterials (iNMs) is challenging. Now, a galvanic replacement strategy is reported for the construction of a library of iNMs. Layered interfacial growth produces intermetallic heterostructures with controllable compositions, structures and interfaces.