Characterization of Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized under Low Temperature

In this study, ultrafine nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) were well synthesized using a simple wet chemical method under low temperature, 300 °C. An Ni(OH)₂ precursor was well precipitated by dropping NH₄OH into an Ni(Ac)₂ solution. TG-DTA showed that the weight of the precipitate decreases until 300 °C; therefore, the precursor was heat-treated at 300 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that hexagonal-structured NiO NPs with (200) preferred orientation was synthesized. In addition, BET specific surface area (SSA) and HRTEM analyses revealed that spherical NiO NPs were formed with SSA and particle size of 60.14 m²/g and ca. 5-15 nm by using the low temperature method. FT-IR spectra of the NiO NPs showed only a sharp vibrating absorption peak at around 550 cm^-1 owing to the Ni-O bond. Additionally, in UV-vis absorption spectra, the wavelength for absorption edge and energy band gap of the ultrafine NiO NPs was 290 nm and 3.44 eV.