Titanium Dioxide Nanofibers and Microparticles Containing Nickel Nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient nanocatalysts is crucial for sustainable energy solutions.
• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and nickel (Ni) are promising materials for catalytic applications.
• Nanostructured materials offer enhanced surface area and reactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel nanocatalysts comprising Ni nanoparticles embedded in TiO2 nanofibers and microparticles.
• To evaluate the efficacy of these nanocatalysts in hydrogen production.
• To compare the performance of nanofiber-based catalysts with microparticle-based ones.

Main Methods:

• Sol-gel synthesis of titanium isopropoxide and Ni nanoparticles.
• Electrospinning technique for TiO2 nanofiber fabrication.
• Sol-gel synthesis for TiO2 microparticle preparation.
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for structural analysis.
• X-ray Diffraction (XRD) for crystalline structure determination.
• In situ hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) for catalytic activity assessment.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of TiO2 nanofibers and microparticles containing well-dispersed Ni nanoparticles.
• SEM and TEM analyses confirmed the formation of desired nanostructures.
• XRD results verified the crystalline nature of both TiO2 and Ni components.
• Nanofiber-based catalysts exhibited higher hydrogen production efficiency compared to microparticle-based catalysts during NaBH4 hydrolysis.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized Ni-embedded TiO2 nanofibers show significant potential as efficient catalysts for hydrogen production.
• The nanostructure morphology plays a critical role in catalytic performance.
• These materials are promising for future hydrogen generation systems.