Advances in Nickel Nanoparticle Synthesis via Oleylamine Route

Abstract

Nickel nanoparticles are an active research area due to their multiple applications as catalystsin different processes. A variety of preparation techniques have been reported for the synthesisof these nanoparticles, including solvothermal, microwave-assisted, and emulsion techniques.The well-studied solvothermal oleylamine synthesis route comes with the drawback of needingstandard air-free techniques and often space-consuming glassware. Here, we present a facile andstraightforward synthesis method for size-controlled highly monodisperse nickel nanoparticlesavoiding the use of, e.g., Schlenk techniques and space-consuming labware. The nanoparticlesproduced by this novel synthetic route were investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering,transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray spectroscopy. The nanoparticles werein a size range of 4–16 nm, show high sphericity, no oxidation, and no agglomeration after synthesis.