High pressure synthesis and structural study of AuGa2 intermetallic compound

We report the synthesis of the AuGa₂ intermetallic compound, using a direct reaction of the relevant elements at room temperature and at very low pressure. The pressure needed for the synthesis is ≈ 0.1 GPa, that is at the lower limit of modern large volume presses, routinely used to synthesize other commercially available materials. This study presents a new method of synthesizing AuGa₂, which is much more cost efficient and environmentally friendly than the previously used high-temperature synthesis techniques, and will open new possibilities of synthesizing other intermetallic compounds using high-pressure athermal techniques.