Effects of PVP on the preparation and growth mechanism of monodispersed Ni nanoparticles

Monodispersed Ni nanoparticles were successfully prepared by chemical reduction with hydrazine hydrate in ethylene glycol. The effect of the amount of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP-K30) on the preparation of Ni nanoparticles was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were employed to characterize the nickel powders. The average nickel particle size can be controlled from 103 nm to 46 nm with increasing the mass ratio of PVP to NiCl2·6H2O. The particles are spherical in shape and are not agglomerated. A possible extensive mechanism of nickel nanoparticle formation has been suggested.