In situ X-ray diffraction study on the growth kinetics of NiO nanoparticles

The growth kinetics of NiO nanoparticles have been studied by in situ X-ray diffraction using two detection systems (conventional and imaging plate). NiO nanoparticles were formed by thermal decomposition after heating of an amorphous compound formed by the coprecipitation method. It was found that the detection method using an imaging plate is more efficient than the conventional detection mode for observing changes in the crystallite growth of nanocrystalline materials. Studies have been carried out to investigate the effects of the heating rates on the particles growth. The results suggest that the growth process of the particles is accelerated when the samples are treated at low heating rates. The evolution of particles size and the diffusion coefficient obtained from X-ray powder diffraction patterns are discussed in terms of the thermal conditions for the two types of detection.