Synthesis and characterization of NiO and Ni nanoparticles using nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) as a template

In this study, nanosized nickel oxide (NiO) and nickel (Ni) powders were synthesised via glycine-nitrate (GN) combustion process, assisted by nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) as a template. Despite the unique morphology of NCC, it has yet to be applied as a sacrificial bio-template for GN combustion process. In addition, NiO and Ni nanoparticles were obtained at relatively low temperatures in this study, whereby the calcination temperatures were varied from 400 °C to 600 °C, with calcination durations of 2, 4, and 6 h. The morphological analysis of the resulting products were conducted using FESEM, which showed uniformly dispersed NiO and Ni particles with average crystallite size of 25 nm and 27 nm, respectively. These results were confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed that the molecular fingerprints of the samples were in agreement with each other. Further analyses revealed that samples calcined at 600 °C for 4 h showed the lowest particle size for pure NiO, whereas the lowest particle size for pure Ni was obtained at 400 °C for 4 h. The TGA results were also consistent with the XRD analysis, whereby pure Ni was initially formed and upon heating, had gradually converted into NiO.