The preparation of nickel nanoparticles through a novesolid-state intramolecular reaction of polynuclearnickel(II) complex

Abstract

A novel solid-state reaction involving [Ni6(N2H4)6(SO4)4(OH)2(H2O)8](SO4)(H2O)10 has been used to prepare nickel nanoparticles. The reaction of [Ni6(N2H4)6(SO4)4(OH)2(H2O)8](SO4)(H2O)10 via NaOH, KOH, and/or Na2CO3 as a reactant was carried out in the solid state. The complex undergoes an intramolecular two-electron oxidation–reduction reaction at room temperature, producing metallic nickel nanoparticles (Ni1, Ni2 and Ni3). The aforementioned complex contains nickel(II) that is an oxidizing agent and also hydrazine ligand as a reducing agent. Other products produced include sodium azide and ammonia gas. The nickel metal nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The synthesized nickel nanoparticles have similar morphologies; however, their particle size distributions are different. Keywords Intramolecular redox reaction Nickel(II) hydrazine complex Solid-state reaction Metallic nickel nanoparticles