Selective synthesis of metallic nickel particles with control of shape via wet chemical process

Metallic nickel particles with shapes varying from sea urchin-like to spherical have been selectively synthesized via aqueous chemical reduction. The phase structure and morphology of particles have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that sodium carbonate greatly accelerated the reduction process to form needle-like dendrites under atmospheric pressure. The probable formation mechanism of the sea urchin-like particles is also discussed. In the mild reduction process, the particle size of nickel nanospheres could be easily controlled by adjusting the experimental parameters.