Preparation and Characterization of NiO Nanoparticles Via Solid-State Thermal Decomposition of Nickel(II) Schiff Base Complexes [Ni(salophen)] and [Ni(Me-salophen)]

This study focuses on the preparation and characterization of nickel oxide nanoparticles from nickel(II) Schiff base complexes as new precursors. At first nickel(II) complexes Ni(salophen)] and Ni(Me-salophen)] were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses and FT-IR spectroscopy. Then NiO nanoparticles were prepared by solid-state thermal decomposition at 550 ºC for 3.5 h. The FT-IR spectrum confirmed the composition of products. The crystalline structures and morphology of products were studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD results revealed that the obtained products were nickel oxide. SEM and TEM images demonstrated that the NiO nanoparticles have uniform shape with size between 35 and 70 nm.