Effect of mixing on nickel tartrate and Ni/NiO core/shell nanoparticles: Implications for morphology, magnetic, optical, dielectric and adsorption properties

Abstract

The current work describes a simple and uncomplicated chemical process for the production of Nickel tartrate (NiT), proceeded by powder calcination in an air atmosphere to generate the Ni/NiO core-shell nanostructure. The synthesis technique is quick, energy-efficient, and toxic-free, with the potential for large manufacturing. The results show that the method of mixing reactant species has a significant impact on the chemistry of the reaction, the morphology of the particles, and the production rate. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) analysis of NiT powder was shown that the tartrate molecules dissociate at a temperature of ∼393 °C, leading to the formation of Ni/NiO core/shell structure, which was confirmed by diffraction techniques, electron microscopes, optical and magnetic measurements. This synthesis protocol can be further generalized to create different metal/metal oxide core/shell nanostructures. The magnetic, dielectric and optical properties of the synthesized NiT and Ni/NiO Powder samples were also investigated. The dielectric constant of NiT samples was observed high and low loss factor (tanδ) in comparison with Ni/NiO samples. Magnetic experiments revealed that NiT samples had paramagnetic fields, whereas Ni/NiO samples have improved ferromagnetic nature dependent on the thickness of the oxide shell. Surprisingly, NiT is a stable powder under many circumstances, allowing us to securely handle, store, and move it, whereas Ni/NiO may be created by the calcination process at the site of application.