Production of nickel powders by nanotechnologic proseses

Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of applied science and technology whose unifying theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, normally 1 to 100 nanometers, and the fabrication of devices within that size range.The ultrafine and submicrometer nickel powders have attracted a great deal of attention as an inexpensive internal electrode in multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC). Monodisperse nickel powders have been prepared from Ni(CH3COO)2 in the presence of ethylene glycol (EG) as the solvent and the reductant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and NaOH by a modified polyol process. The spherical and hexagonal shape nickel powders with submicrometer size were synthesized. The particles of nickel have a size ranging from 0.25 to 0.40 ?m with spherical and hexagonal shapes. Experiments showed that concentrations of SDS and NaOH are the main factors to effect the reaction. Nickel powder can be obtained when a suitable amount of NaOH exists in the solution. Also the surfactant can influence the size and agglomeration of ultrafine powders. The resultant samples were characterized by Xray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). From SEM analysis the morphologies were found to be different in size and structure according to the reaction conditions.Key Words: Nanotechnology, nickel powders, modified polyol, shaped-controled synthesis, SDS, morfology